Heart to Heart
by eiahmon
Summary: Seque to Burning Heart and Earth's Rebirth. A special assignment from Ansem sets Dilan's conscience on edge, and he reaches out to the only person that he knows can help, the one person that he though he would never speak to again; Xehanort.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: A little fic idea that was inspired by Dream Drop Distance. This is quite possible the darkest fic idea I've ever written, and it contains the PHYSICAL ABUSE and TORTURE of a CHILD (though it's not seen), so bail now if that squicks you. This fic will lighten up as it moves on, and the M rating is mainly for this chapter. **

**A/N 2: This takes place in the same universe as Burning Heart and deals with the same characters, but I'm sure if it can be counted as an actual sequel or if it's going to be an AU of that fic. I'll have to think on that one. **

**1.**

After everything that he had experienced, first as Dilan, then as Xaldin, then as Dilan again, it shouldn't have surprised him to see the depths that people will sink to in the pursuit of vengeance. He knew what Master Ansem had done to Roxas and Riku, and the suffering that Saïx's Other had endured on the man's orders, and that was just what one man had done. He knew that some of the rulers on the other worlds had done far worse, but even after seeing what he thought was the worst that people could do, some things were still able to shock him to the core.

He should have refused, he told himself for the millionth time. He should have said no, but he, eager to make up for his betrayal, had agreed without hesitation when Master Ansem had asked him if he was willing to take on a "special assignment".

Damn it all, he should have said no! The "special assignment" consisted of acting as a guard in the offworld prison that housed those that had committed serious crimes when darkness had fallen. There were people locked up for aiding the Heartless, those that had sacrificed others to save themselves, those that aided Organization XIII, as well as those that had just taken advantage of the chaos that was wreaking across the worlds to run wild and commit as much crime as they had wanted. The former members of Organization XIII had nearly ended up there themselves, but only the fact that they had all kept their Nobody powers saved them. It was possible to restrain and imprison a former Nobody, like Ansem had done to Saïx's Other before the latter's escape. (The official story was that he escaped, but Dilan just knew with a certainty that Lea and Xehanort had had something to do with it.) but it was difficult, so the other members of the Organization (Save Xehanort and Braig) had been allowed to go about their lives, but with a stern warning of what would happen to them should they stray again.

Most of the world leaders knew of the prison, and many had people imprisoned there, so most of them also sent one or two of their own people to help guard it. Dilan worked a twelve hour on, twelve hour off shift for a week, and then he rotated home to Radiant Garden for three weeks. It was a simple assignment, as well as a stark reminder of what could have happened to him, and Dilan had done as he'd been asked faithfully for many months without a complaint, but then...

They had brought _him _in.

Dilan wasn't sure how they had managed it, but somehow they had, and he had to stand at his post listen to the child's cries and screams.

_But he's just a child!_

He had to ignore that. He had to ignore that it was just a boy, a young teen to be precise, that was locked in the cell closest to his post. He tried to ignore the screams, the cries, and the sounds of suffering coming from behind him as the boy was brutally punished for crimes that he had yet to commit.

They had somehow plucked the boy from his homeworld and brought him here. The child had gone from living his life with loving parents to suffering in a cell that was only blessed with light when someone came in to punish him, which, sadly, was often. All of the worlds' leaders knew that the boy was there, including Master Ansem, and most of them knew who the boy would grow up into if given the chance and what he would do then. Many of them gleefully took the opportunity to torture the one that would be responsible for so much destruction.

_But he hasn't done it yet. He hasn't done anything wrong. _

Dilan winced as the crack of leather slapping against flesh echoed from the cell behind him, followed immediately by a breathless scream. He didn't know the person that had gone into the boy's cell just a few minutes ago, and to be honest, he didn't care to know. Anyone that took enjoyment out of tormenting an innocent child was no someone he wished to be acquainted with. He heard another crack, followed by another scream, which was then followed by a garbled plea for mercy. The poor child had no idea what he was being punished for, no idea why he had been taken from his family and brought here.

He heard a snarled "Shut up!" followed by another crack, and he knew that whoever had just belted the boy across the mouth to try and silence his crying. He took a deep breath as he reached into a pocket of his jacket and fingered the small bottle of healing potion that he carried there. They had brought the child in during his rotation home, right after he'd left for it actually, which meant that the poor creature had been imprisoned for nearly a month, enduring daily beatings and torture.

It was only two days into Dilan's week on, and he was already counting the minutes until the end.

Behind him came several sharp cracks in rapid succession, and after each one, the teen's screams grew louder. Finally there was another, louder, crack, and the boy fell silent. A few seconds later, the person that had been beating the child walked out and past Dilan. There was blood spattered on the bastard's clothes, and Dilan waited until he was certain until the monster (He could not in good conscience call such a person a man.) had left the prison, and then he left his post and went into the child's cell. The room was pitch black, but a quick flip of a switch saw the lights come on, which revealed a terrible sight.

The shivering child was lying sprawled out on his stomach in the center of the floor, shackled to the floor by chains that were too short for him to stand or even sit upright. He feebly raised his bloodied head when Dilan walked in, but he was too weak to hold it up for long, and it sank back down to the floor. His face was broken and beaten beyond recognition, with his eyes swollen shut, and his mouth and nose dripping blood. His body was wasted, with all excess fat consumed in a desperate attempt to stave off starvation, and it was clear that muscle was being consumed as well. From shoulders to knees, the boy's backside had been whipped bloody, and, if the heavy scarring that was visible under the fresh lashes and blood was any indication, it wasn't the first time it had happened. It was cold comfort that, as far as he could tell, the boy didn't appear as though he had suffered a rape, though Dilan knew that it was only a matter of time until someone thought of it.

He knelt down by the child's head and tilted it back, before he uncapped the healing potion and poured into the boy's mouth. The child swallowed it immediately, and he then tried to suck on the empty bottle, as if he was searching for nourishment in the cold glass. Dilan took the bottle away and gently stroked the boy's blood matted hair before the sound of approaching footsteps made him leave the cell and return to his post.

He stood at attention as more screams echoed from the cell behind him, and he closed his eyes and tried to will himself elsewhere.

_This is wrong! This cannot be allowed to continue!_

It didn't work.

**OOOOOO**

Once he was off shift, he retired to his private quarters, locked his door, and took the Corridors of Darkness straight back to Radiant Garden. He had to talk to Even. Even could give him advice on how to handle the situation, and most important of all...

Even knew where to find _him_.


	2. Chapter 2

**2.**

Xavier carefully inserted the tip of the otoscope into the left ear of the fussy baby in front of him. The baby's mother was holding the infant upright on the table, because lying the baby down resulted a scream of banshee proportions. That alone was enough to make him suspect what the problem was, but he needed to be sure. A quick glance at the inflamed, bulbous eardrum told him everything he needed to know, and he gently pulled the scope out.

"Well, we definitely have an ear infection." he said to the mother as he gently stroked the infant's soft, feathery hair "I'll get her on some antibiotics for ten days, which will take down the infection quickly, as well as something to help the fluid in her ears dry up. She's a bit young still, but try to keep her upright as much as possible. Doing so will help her ears drain and relieve the pressure." The young mother smiled gratefully at him, and after giving her what she needed and seeing her and her child on their way, he turned to straightening and sterilizing the exam room.

He was cleaning the otoscope when his senses twitched at the presence of darkness behind him. He paused for a moment then relaxed; it wasn't the Heartless. A second later, a portal opened behind him, and Even appeared as the portal closed.

"You're lucky that no one was in here with me." he said without turning around "Now what is so important that you couldn't contact me first?" He finally turned around to face his guest and was brought up short by the serious look on the blond's face. "What is it, Even?"

"Get your coat," Even said simply "There is something that you need to see."

"I can't just leave. I have things to do and patients to see."

"Then call Taylor, and from what Dilan has told me, you're going to have a new patient here shortly."

"Dilan," Xavier's eyes narrowed in suspicion. The lancer still didn't trust him, and Xavier wouldn't put it past him to sell him out to Ansem at the first opportunity. "What if this is some sort of trap?"

"It's not." Even looked uneasy, which made Xavier nervous. "I've known Dilan since he was nine years old, Xavier, and very little bothers him. Even with everything that we did, he never flinched, yet whatever he saw that made that him sneak home from his shift five days early unsettled him greatly."

"Sneak home? Shift? What is Dilan doing?"

"He's one of the guards from Radiant Garden that watching over the offworld prison." Xavier nodded; Lea had told him about the prison.

Even continued. "He says that after his last rotation out a month ago, a new prisoner was brought in, a child."

Xavier was startled. "A child? What could a child have possibly done to end up there? And what does it have to do with me?"

"Because he insists that the child -" Even looked Xavier straight in the eye. "- is you." Xavier rocked back in shocked silence, and Even smirked in an expression that invoked memories of his snarky Nobody. "Now, get your coat."

**OOOOOO**

_I can't believe that I'm doing this. _Xavier thought to himself for what had to be the dozenth time as he followed Dilan down the narrow prison corridor that was brightly lit by harsh electric lights hanging from the ceiling. The building was made of drab, gray, concrete, and the walls were dotted with steel prison doors. The place made him very uneasy; if things had gone differently, he could have ended up here, locked away with no memory of what he had done wrong.

He followed the lancer down the corridors and tried to ignore the sounds of suffering coming from the cells that they passed. Every single person that was locked up here, Dilan had told him, deserved to be here, but that hadn't made him any less uncomfortable about the place.

Everyone, except for the one that they had come to rescue, however.

_It has to be a Replica._ Xavier told himself as he followed Dilan around a corner and down a corridor that was darker than the previous one. _There is no other explanation._

He was broken out of his thoughts when Dilan stopped abruptly, and it was then that he heard them: the cries and screams of a child in severe pain. A sick feeling welled up in his gut, and he was sure it was showing on his face as Dilan turned to face him.

"His cell is up ahead." he said quietly "It's the last door on the left before the junction of the corridors. My alternate is up there, so you'll have to take him out before you can go in. You'll also have to take out whomever is in there with him, but it's usually just one person. Rarely, two people go in at once, so be prepared for that. Hide yourself in the shadows and give me ten minutes to get to my quarters, so no one will associate me with the break out. Good luck; you'll need it."

Without another word, Dilan walked away, and Xavier crouched down in a corner and called the shadows to wrap themselves around him, hiding him from view.

It was too bad that they couldn't cover his ears as well.

The next ten minutes were the longest of his life as he listened to someone torture and beat the child inside the cell. Despite his desire to not listen, he did pay attention during the few times the boy attempted to speak, and the voice was very much like his had been back when he had been a teenager living on the Destiny Islands.

_It has to be a Replica._

He winced as the sickening crunch of breaking bone echoed down to him, followed by a scream of pure agony, and he threw the shadows off and stood up. The ten minutes hadn't passed yet, but he didn't care. He had to stop this, _now._

He strode down the corridor and fired a ball of darkness straight into the guard's back. It blew the man off of his feet and slammed him face first into the opposite wall, where he then slid down to the floor unconscious. The cell door was cracked open, which made it easier for him to take a quick glance inside. The narrow opening only afforded him a small view of the room, but what he saw was more than enough.

A figure stood with its back to the door, next to a smaller naked form that was lying stomach down on the floor. The child on the floor was covered in blood, which obscured anything else he could have gleamed about him from the view. The person that was standing kicked his leg out, and there was another snap of a bone breaking, followed by a much weaker scream from the boy on the floor.

Xavier pulled his hood up to obscure his face and then slammed the door open. The person that was beating the boy spun around to face him just in time to take a ball of pure darkness to his face. The bastard was sent flying clear across the room, where he bounced off of the wall and landed face down on the floor. Xavier didn't pay any more attention to that monster, or even if he was still alive or not. His attention focused on the crying child on the floor, and he knelt down beside the shivering boy and looked him over.

_It has to be a Replica._

The young teen was shaking in terror and pain, his eyes were swollen shut, and he was just covered in blood, some of it old and dried, some of it fresh. He was severely emaciated, and Xavier could clearly see that the consumption of muscle had begun. His face was gray, and Xavier gently reached out and stroked the matted hair that was as white as his own as he used his keyblade to unlock the shackles.

"It's alright," he said gently when the child shivered at his touch "I'm going to take you out of here. I know that you're hurting and that you're scared, but I need you to be as quiet as possible. Can you do that for me?" The boy whimpered in response, and Xavier cast a Curaga over him to heal the broken bones before he removed the open shackles and pulled a small blanket from one of his coat pockets. He spread out the blanket on the floor next to the boy, and then he gently rolled the child onto it. The boy whimpered as he was jostled, and Xavier watched him grit his teeth and set his jaw against the pain of being moved. He wrapped the teen snugly in the blanket before he carefully gathered him into his arms and stood up.

"I've got you." he said softly "You're going to be alright." With that he opened a portal and stepped through.

_A Replica. It has to be a Replica._

He portaled first to the Destiny Islands, then to Disney Town, then to Radiant Garden, the Keyblade Graveyard, Traverse Town, the Mysterious Tower, and then finally, to Haven's Bridge. He stepped out of the portal just outside the hospital, and he quickly carried the boy inside.

Taylor was inside, and the man looked up at him when he walked in, and his jaw fell open in shock. Xavier carried the child into the exam room and laid him down on the table just as Taylor flicked the lights on. The boy whimpered again as he was gently unwrapped, and Xavier smoothed back his hair and cooed to him soothingly.

"Where did you find him?" Taylor asked as they began to treat the boy for the starvation and dehydration that the Curaga spell had been unable to do anything for.

"I'll explain later." Xavier replied as he looked the boy over. The Curaga had reduced the swelling of his face, which allowed his brown eyes to peep at his surroundings warily. "It will be alright. We're here to help you." He smiled reassuringly at the child as he told himself that at least he was not as bad as Isa had been after his rescue. Isa had been only days away from death when, four years ago, Lea, with assistance from Roxas, Xavier, and Ienzo, had smuggled him out of his prison cell in Radiant Garden. While this child was in deplorable condition, and just the sight of him made Xavier want to go tear someone's heart out, he was nowhere near as bad.

The Curaga had healed all of the broken bones, but a series of x-rays showed older breaks that hadn't been set and thus hadn't healed properly. They would have to be rebroken and reset later on once the boy was stronger. The welts and lashes had also closed, but some of them needed to be lanced and cleaned before they could heal, and some of them were obviously infected. The worst of them they lanced right then and there, flushed them out, and then bandaged them up. The lesser ones they would treat with antibiotics first and lance them if that wasn't enough.

Once the child's medical needs were addressed, the pair gently bathed him, and Xavier took the time to wash the blood matted hair and gently comb it out instead of cutting it off. Taylor watched him with his brow furrowed in confusion, and Xavier only shrugged.

_Xehanort had been pretty vain about his hair as a teenager._

_But this has to be a Replica._

Once the teenager was clean and dressed in a hospital gown and socks, Xavier gently picked him up from the exam table and carried him into one of the private rooms, with Taylor walking beside him, carrying the IV bags. Taylor pulled the sheet and blanket back, and Xavier carefully laid him down and covered him up while Taylor hung the bags on the IV stand.. The teen settled down with a sigh and went to sleep immediately, and Xavier sat down in the chair by the bed and just watched him for a moment until Taylor broke the silence.

"So did Xemnas go out and find himself a lady to spend the night with?"

Xavier huffed. "Xemnas' philosophy was that was what his hand was for. No, this boy is not a son of mine."

"Then how do you explain the eerie resemblance?"

It was true, the sleeping teenager in the bed could have nearly passed for Xavier's twin were it not for the large difference in age. The body's frame was smaller, the line of the jaw a little sharper, and the hair fell in waves instead of the few spikes that Xavier possessed, but everything else was a near perfect match.

"A Replica?" Xavier said uneasily "That is the only explanation that I can think of. Someone made a Replica of me without aging it to adulthood."

"Why would they do that? And how did they do it? From what you've told me before, Replicas require a DNA sample and various types of data from the original. How would someone have gotten those things?"

"I don't know." Xavier said quietly "I have an idea as to the why, but the mere thought makes me queasy."

"Let's hear it."

"There was a death sentence on me, but they were unable to find me, so they get a Replica and punish it instead, though I don't understand why they would keep him a child."

"People are twisted, Xavier. That's probably the only reason. Someone thought it would be fun to torment and torture a child, so they kept him as one." Taylor sighed. "Of course, we have another question to contemplate now."

Xavier looked over his shoulder at the older man, who was standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame. "What is that?"

"Are you going to keep him?" Xavier stared at him in shock, and he continued. "It's a simple question, Xavier. If your Replica theory is correct, then you are the closest thing he has to a father, so again, are you going to keep him or find someone to foster him?"

Xavier looked away from Taylor back to the sleeping teen. "I... I don't know."

The older physician's hand came down to rest gently on his shoulder. "Think on it, just as long as you decide before he's well enough to leave here. I'm going to head home for the night, and I will tell your family that you're staying here to watch over a patient. Good night, Xavier."

Xavier nodded absently "Good night, Taylor."

The older man walked out, and once the front door had closed behind him, Xavier stood up and used the dimmer switch to lower the lights, gently tucked the blankets around the sleeping boy, and then returned to his chair, his mind awhirl with questions that he had no answers for.

**OOOOOO**

Xavier spent the night in the hospital with his new patient to better keep a close eye on him. He rolled a small folding cot into the room and set it up at the foot of the bed, but as he was preparing to climb in it, a whimper from the child caught his attention. A quick look showed the boy shifting uneasily in bed, likely due to a nightmare, and Xavier stepped over to the side of his bed and reached out to him just as he began to cry softly.. He shivered and cried out weakly at the touch, which made Xavier pause for a moment. He then carefully wrapped the child in his blanket, scooped him out of bed, and settled down into his chair with the weeping teen on his lap.

"It's alright, little one." he murmured softly as he gently brushed the tears away. "It's all over. You're safe. No one will hurt you anymore." The teen curled close to him, as if he was seeking warmth and reassurance, and Xavier began to rock him gently and hum a quiet tune. After a few minutes, the boy quieted and was soon once again sleeping peacefully, but when Xavier stood and went to put him back in bed, he whimpered softly, and one hand clutched at his shirt as tightly as the catheter in the back of it would allow. Xavier couldn't help but laugh quietly, and he smiled as he settled back into the chair with the child still in his arms.

"I wonder what your name is." he murmured as he cradled the teenager "The resemblance between the two of us is quite eerie, yet it's _him _that you resemble the most, before he allowed the darkness consume him." He shook his head at his own thoughts. "Now let's get you back to bed, hmmm? I'm sure you'll be much more comfortable there instead of on my lap." He stood up from the chair and gently laid the boy down in the middle of the bed. The child was quiet and didn't attempt to hang onto him this time, so he was able to get him tucked in with no trouble. "Good night, little one."

**OOOOOO**

The boy slept peacefully through the rest of the night, the morning, and well into the afternoon. Xavier was enjoying some soup that Alexander, now seven years old, had brought him from home when the teenager began to stir. Xavier put the soup bowl aside and moved to the bedside just as the boy's eyes fluttered open.

"Are you back with us now?" Xavier asked gently as the boy's tired brown eyes wandered about the room before settling on him. The child didn't answer, likely too traumatized to speak, and he flinched when Xavier reached out to touch him. He smiled gently at the teenager and talked to him soothingly as he went about checking him over. Once that was done, he left the room with an assurance that he would be back, and he returned in short order with a small glass of warm water mixed with glucose. As they had with Isa, they would have to gradually get the child used to eating again to prevent the potentially deadly Refeeding Syndrome.

He gently sat the boy up in bed, and allowed him to take small sips from the glass, murmuring soothingly to him the entire time. The child's frail body was shaking hard, and it was only Xavier's arm around him that kept him upright. Once the water was gone, Xavier laid him back down and tucked him in, and the boy watched him with frightened eyes, like he believed that Xavier would do something the second he wasn't looking, until he was simply too tired to stay awake any longer.

"I know that you don't believe me, little one" Xavier said as the boy's eyes closed and he began to nod off "but I promise that you're safe now." He gently grasped one of the teen's hands in his own and held it as the boy feel asleep.

**OOOOOO**

For the next two days, Xavier patiently tended to the boy in his care, and during that time he never left the hospital. He ate the meals that Alexander brought him from home, showered in the bathroom aside the office, and slept in a cot at the foot of the boy's bed. Several times a day, he fed the teenager warm sugar water to get his wasted body used to eating again. He knew that soon they would be able to upgrade him to clear liquids other than sugar water, then to opaque liquids, and then to light solids. It was a slow process, but renourishment couldn't be rushed after starving for so long.

It was during the boy's evening feeding on the second day, that he noted the child seemed to be working up the courage to say something. Several times, he opened his mouth slightly like he was going to talk, but then he would close it without saying anything.

"Are you alright?" Xavier asked gently as he took the empty glass away "Do you need something?"

The teen looked at him for a moment, unsure, and then he very hesitantly opened his mouth and spoke in voice that was raspy from weeks of near constant crying and screaming.

"May I... may I please... have some more?"

"I'm sorry, little one, but no." Xavier reached out and gently stroked the boy's hair and ignored his flinch "If you have too much too soon, it will make you sick."

"I'm hungry."

"I know, child, I know, but it's too soon right now."

The boy looked down at his skeletal hands, which were lying on his blanket covered lap, and nodded faintly. "You saved me. I remember you knocking away the man that was hurting me, and you wrapped me in a blanket and picked me up." he said quietly, and then he looked up at Xavier. "Thank you."

Xavier smiled. "You're welcome, little one." The boy leaned against him, and Xavier smiled again as he held him. "Can you tell me your name, child?"

"My name is Xehanort."

Xavier's breath caught in his throat, and he had just enough time to lie the boy back down before he was hit with a coughing fit. He left the room quickly and went to the office, where he got a cup of water from the sink and drank it down to stop the coughing. He then looked at his reflection in the mirror over the sink.

_My name is Xehanort._

"He is a Replica." Xavier said to his reflection "There is no other option. He has to be." He washed his face and then returned to the boy – _Xehanort's _– room, and he walked through the door to find the teenager sleeping peacefully. His white hair was lying across his face, and Xavier gently brushed it away before he pulled the blankets up to his chin and tucked them around him. Surprising himself, he then softly kissed the boy on the forehead.

_He's a Replica, and he's been so badly abused during his short life. _

Xavier sighed as he sank back down into his chair by the side of the bed.

"This is so unfair." he said to the sleeping child "They give you your life and then make it as painful as possible for you, only because they couldn't find me." He titled his head back to look up at the ceiling. "Well, Mama wants grandchildren. I don't think this is how she intended to get them." He laughed lightly at his own thoughts. "Never thought I would end up a parent."

With a sigh and a shake of his head, he got up from his chair, dimmed the lights in the room, and sat down on the edge of his cot to kick his boots off. He then laid down and tried to go to sleep, but with the thoughts whirling around in his mind, sleep was a long time in coming.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: *peeks over computer screen* Still here. Sorry for the wait, but Minecraft ate my soul. Oh Minecraft, why must you be so awesomely addicting**

**3.**

Xehanort didn't speak for the next few days. He kept silent as Xavier fed him, bathed him, and changed his sheets everyday. He allowed himself to be carried to the bathroom without complaint, drank the liquids he was given without a fuss, and didn't ask for more again. Xavier didn't like his silence, but he knew better than to push him. As with Isa, trauma could not be recovered from instantly; it took time.

He did not say a word to the boy about his belief that he was a Replica, but since he was for all intents and purposes his father, he did more than he would have with any other patient. Of course, his other child aged patients had parents and other relatives to offer comfort and care. Xehanort had no one aside from himself. With any other patient he would have switched out with Taylor every now and then so he could go home and take a break. Not so with Xehanort. He cared for the child himself and refused to leave him. With Taylor insisted that he go home sometime, Xavier only asked him if he would leave a child of his alone in the hospital in the care of others, to which Taylor simply shook his head and stopped insisting. When Xehanort became frightened or upset, Xavier would gather him into his arms and hold him and croon to him until he was calm again. Xehanort disliked it when Xavier changed his gown, so he allowed the boy to do it himself, while providing as little assistance as possible. He also was terrified of getting a bath, especially of the wash basin that Xavier used for the task, which made him wonder if the boy's captors had used some kind of water torture on him. He was still too weak to bathe himself, but Xavier tried to ease his fear by leaving the wash basin outside the room and going back and forth to it as needed. The bath still frightened him so much that, once he was dried off and dressed, Xavier often had to wrap him snugly in a blanket and hold him on his lap until his shivering ceased and his tears dried.

That was another thing that bothered Xavier a great deal. No matter how frightened he became or how much pain he felt from his healing wounds and improperly set bones, Xehanort never cried aloud while awake. He cried quietly in his sleep now and then, but never when awake. From what he had heard while in the prison, Xavier knew that he was likely punished for crying, and it made him shiver every time he thought about it.

Seven days after his rescue, Xehanort was allowed to drink opaque liquids, and Xavier had to stop him from guzzling his first glass of milk. It was the closest he had seen Xehanort to full out crying as he reached frantically for the glass that Xavier had taken away from him with tears rolling unchecked down his cheeks.

"You must drink it slowly, Xehanort." Xavier admonished him gently "If you drink it too fast, you will make yourself sick."

Xehanort ignored him and continued reaching for the glass, looking as though he was going to start bawling at any second. Xavier sat down beside him and put one arm around him, though he held his other arm out to keep the glass out of Xehanort's reach.

"Xehanort," he said firmly "Look at me, Xehanort." The child ignored him and began to whine in distress as he continued reaching for the milk. Xavier finally set it down on a nearby table, which resulted in a frustrated wail from Xehanort, and gently titled the boy's head back to look him in the eye. He gently used his thumb to wipe some of the tears away. "Xehanort, you are not going to go hungry here. I will not make you go without like those monsters in the prison did, but right now you must be careful with what you eat and drink. If you have too much too soon and too fast, you will make yourself very sick." _And quite possibly kill yourself_, he added silently "I know you want the milk, but you cannot drink it too fast. If you promise me that you will sip it down _slowly_, I will give it back to you. If you start chugging down again, I will take it away. Do you understand?" Xehanort ignored him, and he wailed again as he struggled to get past Xavier to the milk. Xavier gently pushed him back and held him firmly. "If you want the milk, you have to agree to what I say. I will not have you set yourself back. I know that you're hungry, but those are the rules."

Xehanort finally stopped fighting with a sob, and Xavier wrapped his arms around him and rocked him for a moment. "It's alright, little one. Promise me that you won't guzzle it, and I'll let you have it." Xehanort looked up at him with puffy eyes for a long moment, and then he nodded. Xavier picked up the glass, but he held it out when Xehanort began to reach for it again. "Ah ah ah, remember what I said?" With a sigh of defeat, Xehanort let his arms drop to his lap, and Xavier held it up so he could sip from it.

"That's a good boy." he said quietly "Just sip it slowly." All too soon the glass was empty, and Xehanort tried to lick out every last drop. Xavier felt a rush of pity and anger. Pity for the abused child in front of him, anger at those that had hurt him so badly. He set the empty glass aside, which resulted in another distressed whine, and gathered the boy to him. Xehanort no longer flinched at his touch, though he still flinched at Taylor's, and he snuggled against Xavier side and closed his eyes.

"You can have more in a few more hours." Xavier told him quietly as he ran his fingers through the child's hair "But for now you need to lie down and sleep."

Xehanort was quiet as Xavier laid him down and tucked him in, and he fell asleep quickly. Xavier stepped into the office just as Alexander arrived with breakfast from home. Xavier greeted his little brother with a hug and a ruffle of his hair before he sat down to eat. He'd barely taken a bite of his eggs though, when he noticed Alexander walking over to the private room and peeking in the doorway.

"Alexander." he said warningly "Stay out of there."

"Wow, Xavier!" the boy exclaimed "He looks just like you!"

"Alexander!" Xavier hissed as he stood up and strode over to the door. Inside he saw Xehanort rubbing his eyes; Alexander had woken him up. "Go home, right now, young man. You've woken him up."

"Sorry!"

"Shhhh! Bit late for that, now get."

"Okay, okay." Alexander grumbled something and walked out, and Xavier walked up to Xehanort's bed. The boy was looking around in fear, frightened by the unfamiliar voice that he had heard.

"It's alright." Xavier soothed as he smoothed out the blankets "It was just my little brother. I'm sorry that he woke you." Xehanort looked at him anxiously for a moment before he hesitantly closed his eyes and went back to sleep, and Xavier returned to the office to finish his breakfast.

Later that day, as he was giving Xehanort his second glass of milk, the teenager spoke.

"He said that I look like you." he said quietly, and Xavier grimaced. He wasn't going to like this conversation; he knew it.

"That is true." he said as he held the half full glass up so Xehanort could sip from it "We do look quite a bit alike."

Xehanort took another small drink. "Are you descended from Lord Xehanort too?" he asked afterward.

"No." Xavier replied. _Not in this body, anyway. _he added silently.

"Then why do we look so much alike?"

"Everyone has their twin, I suppose."

Xehanort shrugged his shoulders slightly and finished his milk. "Why haven't my parents visited? Are they not allowed?"

Xavier set the glass aside and used a napkin to gently wipe the milk off Xehanort's mouth. "Your parents aren't here."

Xehanort looked at him in confusion, and Xavier couldn't help but notice the moisture gathering in the corners of his eyes. "What do you mean they're not here?"

_Because you don't have any, aside from me_. "You're not on the Destiny Islands, little one."

"How could I not be?"

"Those monsters that had you were keeping you on another world. When I took you out of there, I brought you here."

"Why can't you take me home then?"

_Because you don't have one, at least not yet. _"You're not well enough to travel now. I moved you before because I had to, but now you're going to stay here until you're stronger." _Please don't hate me __for lying to you._

"Can't you go and get them?" Xehanort asked desperately as tears began to track down his gaunt cheeks "Do they even know what happened to me?"

"No, I can't go and get them, and I'm fairly certain that they don't know what happened to you."

"But... why! Why can't you get them? You brought me here! That means that you can move between worlds right?"

"I don't know where the Destiny Islands are, child." _Lie, lie, lie!_ "And right now I'm more worried with caring for you than searching." He reached out to hold the distraught child, but Xehanort yanked himself back and away. The sudden movement caused him to lose his balance and fall, and he nearly fell out of bed. Xavier felt his heart stop for a second – Xehanort was so frail that any kind of shock could cause him to go instantly into cardiac arrest – but thankfully, his hands didn't. He reached out and caught the boy by the front of his gown and hauled him back into the middle of the bed. Xehanort wiped at his eyes and nose with the back of his hand, and he didn't resist a second time as Xavier reached out and scooped him up. He sat down in the chair beside the bed and cradled him in his arms.

"If I could, I'd bring them here to you." he murmured softly "I know you want them, but it's just not possible to get them right now." _Or ever, since my original's parents had been dead for years. _

Xehanort sniffled and wiped at his eyes again, and he sighed in defeat and laid his head against Xavier's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Xehanort." Xavier whispered as the boy closed his eyes and went to sleep, exhausted by his short burst of movement. He didn't put him back in bed, instead he remained in the chair for a while, holding the sleeping child close.

**OOOOOO**

Ten days after his rescue, Xehanort was well enough to get out of bed for short periods. Xavier and Taylor carefully helped him first sit on the edge of his bed, and then they carefully pulled him to his feet. His rail thin legs shook and wobbled under his weight, and Xavier kept his arms close to catch him if he fell. They walked him to the nearby chair and eased him down into it. Xehanort was shaking from the exertion as he sank down into the cushions, and Xavier waited until the worst of the shaking had subsided before he brought in something that he knew the child had been longing for: solid food.

It wasn't much, just a small bowl of flavored gelatin, but Xehanort's eyes lit up with excitement when he saw it, and he reached for it eagerly. Xavier pulled up a chair in front of him and held the bowl out of his reach.

"The same rules apply, Xehanort." he said firmly "You must eat it slowly, so just sit back so I can feed you."

"I can feed myself." the teen insisted, and Xavier shook his head.

"Not now, little one." he said gently "Right now, you're shaking so much that I'm sure that you would drop it if I handed it to you, and I don't trust you yet not to gulp it down."

Xehanort huffed angrily. "I hate this! I'm not a baby!"

It was nice to see that the boy still had some fire in him, though it picked the worst time to come out. "No, you're not a baby, but you are a very sick child."

"I don't want you to feed me! I can feed myself!"

"You cannot feed yourself right now."

Xehanort crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. "If I can't feed myself, then I don't want it."

Xavier sighed and ran his hand back through his hair. "You cannot afford to skip meals right now, Xehanort. You must eat."

"I'm not hungry anymore."

"Don't lie to me. I know that you're hungry, so you either let me feed you, or you don't get it at all and I put you on a feeding tube instead. Which will it be?" Xavier clearly remembered issuing a similar choice to Isa during the latter's recovery years ago, and while Isa had agreed to do as he was told, he had not been a sickly teenager. Xavier really had no idea how Xehanort was going to react.

The boy hunched over in the chair with a surly look and said nothing for a while. After a few minutes had ticked by with no answer, Xavier sighed and stood up, intending to put the gelatin back in the refrigerator. He didn't want to put a feeding tube up the child's nose, but he would if he had to.

"Wait!" Xehanort said desperately as he turned to leave the room "Don't take it away! I want it! I want it. Please bring it back!"

Xavier turned back around to see the teenager reaching with both arms for the bowl with tears running down his face. Without a word he returned to his chair, and Xehanort didn't resist as he slowly spoon fed him the gelatin. Once the bowl was empty, he set it aside, and he was surprised when Xehanort reached out to him, looking as though he was going to burst into tears at any moment. He hoisted the child onto his lap and smiled when Xehanort laid his head on his shoulder and wound his arms around him. There were a few sniffles, and Xavier could feel tears wetting his shirt, but the teenager still did not full out cry.

"I know that you're frustrated and don't feel well," Xavier said gently "but you will get stronger, and you will start to feel better. It's just going to take time. We can't rush your recovery, or we risk making you sicker. I know it's hard, but just be patient, and trust me. I promise that I'll take care of you."

Xehanort sniffled again. "I do trust you." he said quietly "I don't know why, but I feel that I know you somehow. I feel like I've known you my entire life, but I'd never seen you before before you rescued me."

_Side effect of being a Replica of me, I suppose. _Xavier thought as he held Xehanort until the sniffling stopped. He then stood up and carried the boy back to bed and laid him down. Xehanort reached up to him, and Xavier gently took one of the boy's hands in his own and held it as he fell asleep, tired out by his short excursion out of bed.

"You've decided." Taylor said quietly from the doorway, and Xavier looked up at him, startled. He had completely forgotten that the other was in the room. He blinked owlishly at his mentor for a moment before he turned back to Xehanort. He brushed the boy's hair out of his face and tucked his blanket around him.

"Yes," he whispered "I've decided." He carefully leaned over and kissed Xehanort softly on the forehead, which caused the teen to stir.

"My mom kisses me on that same spot." he mumbled before settling back into sleep with a sigh.

Xavier smiled. "Yes, she did."

**OOOOOO**

Over the following days, Xehanort continued to improve, and Xavier and Taylor began to plan the first of the many surgeries he would need to repair his improperly set bones. The teenager was still not quite strong enough for surgery yet, but they mapped out which ones they would take care of first and how often they would do so. They wouldn't have to wait for each bone to heal naturally either: Xavier's healing spells would take care of that instantly. The spells could also be used to take care of the ropey scar tissue that covered Xehanort's body, but that was merely cosmetic and so not a high priority.

At the two week mark, Xehanort graduated to other light solids aside form gelatin: rice, bread, and other grains, along with small pieces of chicken and fish.

"What kind of fish is this?" he asked as he nibbled on a small sliver of baked meat.

"Catfish." Xavier replied from his usual spot in the bedside chair.

Xehanort made a face. "I've never seen this kind of fish before. It's not salt water, is it?"

"No, it's a fresh water fish."

Xehanort made a face again. "Is there any salt water around here?"

"Nope, this world has no oceans."

"No salt water lakes?"

"Fresh water only."

Xehanort looked down at his plate – he was allowed to feed himself by then – and frowned. "That's why this place smells strange."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't smell the ocean here, and it's... strange."

Xavier nibbled on his lip thoughtfully for a moment as Xehanort turned back to his small meal before he asked something that he had been wondering about recently.

"How old are you, Xehanort?" He had never thought about it much at first; the child was a Replica and therefore couldn't be that old at all, but he was curious as to how many memories they had implanted in him.

Xehanort went absolutely still for a moment, before he slowly lowered his fork to the plate that was sitting on a tray across his lap. "I turned thirteen just before they... took me away."

They implanted _thirteen years _worth of memories!Xavier had to struggle to keep his mouth from falling open. Xehanort shivered, picked up his fork, and resumed eating, while Xavier tiredly ran his hand down his face. Why would they do such much if they were just going to lock him up and torture him?

"Xavier?" Xehanort asked hesitantly, and Xavier looked up at him.

"Hmmm?"

"Now that I'm getting better, are you going to look for my parents?"

_Damn it._

"Not just yet. Not until you leave the hospital at least."

"I miss them." Xehanort said quietly as Xavier stood up, took the tray with the now empty plate away, and set it aside. He then sat down on the bed and gathered the child to him. Xehanort nestled close and closed his eyes with a sigh.

"I'm surprised that you haven't asked for them more than you have."

"I asked for them a lot after they took me away, but asking only got me hit, so I stopped."

"Were you afraid that I would hit you for asking as well?"

Xehanort nodded slightly. "I don't know why, but I trusted you the instant you picked me up off the floor back there, but I was still afraid that you would."

Xavier gently ran his fingers down the teen's hair. "Don't be afraid to ask me questions, little one. If I can, I will answer you. If I can't, I won't get angry. I'll just tell you why I can't answer."

Xehanort nestled closer and said nothing, and Xavier just sat there and enjoyed having the child in his arms. After a moment, the teenager spoke again.

"When can I leave the hospital?"

"Soon. We have to fix the bones that didn't heal properly, and then you can leave."

"Where will I go? Where will I stay?"

"You will stay with me and my family." _Our family._

Xehanort nodded in understanding and fell silent, and Xavier held him until he began to tire. Like Isa, the boy tired quickly and easily, though Taylor and Xavier hoped that his youth would help him recover. He had not been near death at rescue either, which they hoped meant that he would recover fully. Only time would tell.

Xehanort laid down and quietly allowed Xavier to tuck him in, and Xavier sat beside him and soothingly stroked his hair as he fell asleep. He then walked out into the office where he found Taylor seated at the desk, and the older man looked up when he walked in.

"Can you watch him for a little bit?" Xavier asked as he slipped his coat on. It was early spring, and the days were a bit chilly still, while the nights were still very cold.

"Certainly, but why?"

"I need to go speak to my parents." Xavier sighed. "I've only told them that I'm looking after a teenaged boy; they don't know the full story, and I need to tell them before I bring him home. If he wakes up, just tell him that I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I'll do that. Hurry back."

With a nod, Xavier walked out of the door and started off towards home. As he walked, he stuck his hands in his pockets and wondered what exactly he was going to tell them. His parents needed the full truth at least; he could trust them to keep quiet. He needed to figure out what to tell his brothers as well. Some of them, especially the quick witted Masa, would notice the stark resemblance quickly, so he needed to figure out what to say to them.

By the time he reached the farmhouse, he still wasn't sure what exactly to say, but the sight of his father standing at the chopping block in the side yard, chopping wood for the house's three fireplaces and two wood burning stoves made him push thoughts of his brothers aside. He needed to tell his parents first; his brothers could wait until later.

Jascha looked up as Xavier approached, and his broad smile warmed his heart. Jascha and Elissa may not have been his biological parents, but they loved him like their own and made sure that he knew it.

"Xavier," Jascha said warmly as engulfed his son in a strong embrace "We were wondering when you were going to come home. Is that boy that you've been watching out of the hospital now?"

Xavier shook his head. "No," he said quietly "he's still there, and Taylor's watching him for me so I could come home for a bit."

Jascha frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"I need to speak to you and Mama, privately. There is something that you need to know."

His father gave him a searching look for a moment before he nodded. "Alright then. Let's go inside and find your mother, and then you can say what you need to say." He set the ax down on the block, and then the two of them walked inside the house. They found Elissa in the kitchen as she was preparing to start dinner, and she greeted her son with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Her cheerful smile faded when her husband told her that Xavier needed to speak with them in private, so the three of them went out into the house's small parlor and, after making sure that the ever curious Alexander was occupied outside with helping Akim bring the horses in, they sat down in chairs around the fireplace.

"What do you need to tell us, Xavier?" Elissa asked quietly, and Xavier didn't answer her for a moment. He stared into the dying flames in the fireplace and gathered his thoughts for a moment before he began to speak.

"Do you remember Terra?" he asked, and his parents blinked at the apparent non sequitur.

"Of course," Jascha said "Is he alright? Is he coming back here?"

"He's fine." Xavier replied with a small smile. "The last I heard, he's doing very well, and recently retook and passed his Mark of Mastery exam. No, the reason, I asked you about him is because remember how I explained that since I was in his original body, Even made a Replica of me, and then we put Terra's heart in it so he could be reborn?" His parents nodded, though they looked a little confused, and Xavier took a deep breath and continued. "Fourteen days ago, Even visited and told me of a teenaged boy that had been imprisoned in a prison that housed people guilty of committing crimes during the worlds' fall. Dilan is one of the guards in that prison, and he told Even that the boy looked just like me, so I went there and smuggled the boy out. He's the child that I've been caring for at the hospital."

Elissa covered his mouth with her hand as he eyes widened. "They imprisoned a child? Who would do such a thing? Why? What could a child have possibly done to deserve that?" Jascha put her hand on her arm, and she fell silent, though Xavier could see tears gathering in her eyes.

"As to the why," Xavier sighed. "I'm certain that, like Terra, he is a Replica of me, given life to take the punishment for Xehanort's actions. He even has the implanted memories of Master Xehanort's early life and childhood. He thinks that he is a thirteen year old boy that was abducted from the Destiny Islands. He's even asked for a his parents and got quite upset when I lied and told him that I couldn't get them because I didn't know where to look. He has no idea that he's a Replica." Xavier sighed again. "Since he's a Replica of me, I am the closest thing that he has to a parent."

"You're going to keep him, aren't you?" Elissa asked "Please tell me that you're not going to abandon that child."

Xavier laughed lightly. "No, I'm not. When he's well enough to leave the hospital, I'll be bringing him home."

Elissa smiled and nodded once. "Good."

"I'll have to tell him he's a Replica eventually." Xavier added seriously "But for now, he's too frail to hear such a thing. I know the others will notice the resemblance between the two of us quickly, but I don't want them to mention it, especially not where Xehanort can hear."

"Don't worry about your brothers." Jascha said firmly "We'll deal with that. You just worry about your child."

His child? Xavier smiled weakly and nodded.

"When will he be able to come home?" Elissa asked, likely already planning a welcome home party in her mind."

"Not for another week or two yet, Mama." Xavier replied "But it's going to have to be fairly low key. He was badly abused for just under a month, and he's only seen Taylor and myself since, and he's still a little frightened of Taylor. A big welcome would likely only scare him."

"I understand then that the usual boisterous activity will have to ease up while he's around?" Jascha asked.

"At least until he settles down. He becomes frightened so easily right now; just the sound of Alexander's voice was enough to wake him up and scare him."

"Don't worry; we'll handle it." Jascha stood up. 'I believe you had better get back to the hospital then. If he's still a little scared of Taylor, then he's going to be upset that you left him."

Xavier smiled weakly again and stood as well. "I suppose I should."

His mother hugged him, and he walked out of the room. As he walked towards the front door, he heard her exclaim to her husband. "Oh Jascha, this means we have our first grandchild!"

Xavier laughed quietly to himself as he walked out of the house and back towards the hospital. Grandchild indeed.

Xehanort was still sleeping when he returned, and he gently tucked the blankets around the sleeping boy and kissed him softly on the cheek. "I love you, little one. Sleep well."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: And the plot returns.**

**4.**

The morning after Xavier spoke with his parents about Xehanort, Lea returned from a stay at The Land of Departure, where Xavier had sent him just after Xehanort's rescue.

Two years previous, Lea had shocked everyone (especially Isa and Roxas) by summoning his own keyblade during a Heartless attack on his and Isa's house. That very night, as the two of them watched over a sleeping Isa, who had fallen ill earlier in the day, Xavier had taken Lea on as a keyblade apprentice. Lea had been a quick and eager learner, but he had many things to unlearn from years of teaching himself to use his chakrams. The hardest part had been breaking his habit of relying heavily on his natural skill for fire magic, so he could branch to other kinds.

"Many things are weak against fire," Xavier had told him "but not everything is."

Upon realizing that caring for Xehanort was going to consume most of his time, Xavier had sent Lea to The Land of Departure to train under Master Aqua for a while, so he wouldn't miss out on much needed practice. He knew that Aqua would teach him right.

Now that he had his own keyblade, Xavier insisted that Lea use its glider form to move between worlds, as it exposed the heart to less Darkness than the corridors did. The only time that he had permission to use the Corridors was in an emergency or when he was visiting Sora and company. They didn't want the existence of his keyblade to get out yet. If Sora or Riku were to see it, they would try to get Lea set up with a keyblade master for training, and if Lea were to tell them that he already had one, it could lead to a dangerous situation.

Lea didn't have any keyblade armor, but since he had his black coats, which performed the same function and were much less cumbersome in Xavier's opinion, that wasn't a problem. Lea was wearing one of his coats and whistling a cheerful tune as he walked into the hospital, looking for Xavier.

Xehanort was sleeping, so Xavier was in the office, going through some inventory lists when his apprentice walked in. The redhead grinned and tossed a large, red apple at Xavier, who caught it easily.

"Sent with Master Aqua's regards." Lea said easily "She said something about using apples to keep the doctor away, but I told her that couldn't be true, because I can't get rid of you for nothing."

Xavier laughed; he had missed Lea more than he would admit. "No. Sadly, you're stuck with me until you pass your Mark of Mastery." He looked down at the apple in his hands and recognized it as coming from the apple trees that grew on The Land of Departure. Xehanort and Eraqus had made many a snack out of the juicy fruit during their breaks from training, and he was pleasantly surprised that the trees had somehow survived the world's destruction and reshaping. He then looked back up at Lea. "Have you been home yet?"

"Of course," Lea waved his hand in the air vaguely in the direction of the house that he and Isa shared. "It was the first place I went. Had to check on Isa, y'know. I'm so glad that we've got neighbors that will keep an eye on him while I'm gone. If it hadn't been for that, I wouldn't have left, no matter what you said."

"And I wouldn't have sent you away otherwise. Isa's more important than a few weeks of training."

"So how's your lost boy doing?"

"Better. He's still got a bit to go, but he's much better than he was before."

"Good to hear." Lea pulled up a chair in front of the desk and spun it around so he could sit down and rest his arms on the top of the back. "Here's something you'll find interesting."

"Oh?"

"Roxas came by a few days ago, and he said that he heard from Sora that a little over a month ago, Master Yen Sid and the wizard Merlin tried to cast a spell to find you."

Xavier dropped his papers to the desk and gave Lea a hard look. "What?"

Lea shrugged. "It didn't work obviously, otherwise they would have sent the guards in already to get you, but Roxas said that the spell not only failed but failed pretty damned spectacularly."

"How so?"

"Remember how Luxord could warp time?"

"Yes, drove his opponents insane in battle if I remember correctly."

"Roxas said that that was what it reminded him of. Nothing happened as a result of the failure of the spell as far as he knows, but he still thought it was weird."

"That is strange. I haven't seen Master Yen Sid in over forty years, and I remember him as a skilled spellcaster that favored magic over his keyblade in battle. To have a spell fail in such a way is extremely rare for him."

"Maybe Merlin bungled it up then. Who knows, but that's not all that happened."

"Do tell."

"Roxas, Sora, and Riku are going to be taking their Mark of Mastery soon."

Xavier raised an eyebrow. "Really? Keyblade training normally takes years under an experienced master. For Master Yen Sid to allow three self taught novices to take the exam must mean that something serious is about. Do you know what he'll have them doing?"

Lea shrugged again and scratched at the back of his head. "No, but Roxas said he'd let me know once he found out. Is there a set test for the Mark of Mastery?"

Xavier shook his head. "No, the master determines how to test his apprentices, and it varies from master to master as a result. Master Limahl put Xehanort and Eraqus through a combination of a obstacle/survival test out in a Heartless infested world. He was always nearby watching them, ready to intervene if they ran into trouble that they couldn't handle, but they didn't know that. Both of them passed obviously. Eraqus preferred to use a simple demonstration of skills on his own students."

"What about Xehanort?"

"Xehanort had only two apprentices." Xavier said quietly "Ventus and Vanitas."

Lea tilted his head back. "Oooooh, right. Forgot about that." He then abruptly straightened and looked at Xavier. "Wait, what will you have me doing then?"

Xavier smirked. "Now Lea, that would be telling. Besides, you have a few years to go yet before I'll even think about letting you take the Mark of Mastery."

"Only a few years? What happened to 'takes years'?"

"How old are you now, Lea?"

Lea scratched his head again. "Uhhhhh... 34, I think. Not really aging for 10 years kinda screwed up my counting."

"And there is your answer. You only gained your keyblade two years ago, so you have much learning to do and not much time to do it in. I don't want you to be in your 50's when taking the Mark of Mastery. It's why I've been pushing you so hard and why I sent you to study under Master Aqua while I took care of Xehanort."

"Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense then. Wait, Xehanort?"

Xavier nodded. "He's a Replica of me, created to take Xehanort's punishment. They even implanted memories into him, so he thinks he was abducted from the Destiny Islands the day after he turned 13."

"Are you going to keep him?"

"I am."

"Good. Poor kid; he'll need all the family he can get. Hey, here's a thought. Do Replicas age? Will he grow into an adult, or will he stay a teenager forever?"

Xavier frowned in thought. "You know, I don't know. I'll have to ask Even the next time I talk to him. I need to ask him a few other things about Replicas as well. Vexen is doing well and is stable, but I don't know if they have a set lifespan or if they will eventually deteriorate and die, so I'll have to speak to Even and ask him sometime soon."

"You do that." Lea said as he stood up. "I'm going to head home. Isa's making a special dinner to welcome me home, and he'll shove his claymore up my ass if I'm late."

Xavier's frown turned into a laugh. "Better head home then before you end up with a raging beserker after your hide."

Lea turned and walked out of the hospital. "See ya in the morning!"

"Bright and early!" Xavier called after him, and he shook his head and smiled as the door shut behind his apprentice.

**OOOOOO**

Xehanort's first surgery took place three weeks after his rescue. It nearly didn't happen at all. As soon as he realized that they were planning to anesthetize him, Xehanort shook his head frantically and refused.

"No," he said he scooted across his bed away from Xavier. "I don't want it."

"We're just going to put you into a deep sleep while we fix your bones, little one." Xavier said soothingly "We don't want you to be awake and feeling what we're doing."

"No!" Xehanort shook his head again. "I don't want to go to sleep!"

"I promise that you won't feel a thing."

"I don't care! I don't want it!"

"But you need it, Xehanort. I know that those badly healed breaks are hurting you, so we need to get them fixed."

"I don't want them fixed." Tears were running out of Xehanort's eyes as he squirmed away from Xavier's outreaching arms. "They're not hurting me!"

"Yes they are, child."

"They're not!"

"Xavier," Taylor said from the doorway "He needs to calm down. He's still not strong enough to be getting so upset before surgery."

"I don't want to go to sleep!" Xehanort wailed, and then he whimpered. "Please don't make me."

"Why do you not want to go to sleep, little one?" Xavier asked gently as it occurred to him that the child may have a good reason to be frightened.

"Because I was asleep when they took me away." Xehanort whispered, and he curled up in as tight of a ball as he could and looked away from them.

"They took you from your bed?"

Xehanort nodded, and Xavier scooted across the bed to sit next to him. "No one is going to take you from me, Xehanort. I promised you that you are safe here, and I meant it." He held out his arms, and after a moment's hesitation, Xehanort inched over and leaned into the offered embrace. "I won't leave you while you're asleep. I'll stay with you the entire time."

"You promise?" Xehanort asked in a tiny voice, and Xavier pulled him onto his lap and held him tight.

"I promise, Xehanort, I promise that I'll stay with you."

"You won't let anyone take me away?"

"I won't."

Xehanort hid his face in the surgical gown that Xavier was wearing over his clothes, and then he nodded. "I'm ready then. Just... just don't leave me alone, okay?"

"I won't, little one. I'll stay beside you the entire time." Xavier adjusted the child's position, so Taylor could easily reach his left hand. "Now Taylor is going to give you an injection in the back of your hand, and when he does, I want you to count backwards from 10. Can you do that for me?"

Xehanort nodded, but he kept his face hidden and Taylor gently took his hand and injected the anesthetic into the back of it. "10, 9, 8, 7..." Xehanort began to relax in Xavier's arms. "6... 5..." He fell silent then and went limp on Xavier's lap.

Xavier stood up from the bed and carried him into the small operating room and laid him down on the table there. Taylor eased the breathing tube down his throat and into his trachea to deliver a mix of room air, oxygen, and anesthetic to keep him comfortably asleep while they worked on him. They were going to try and get as many of the bones straightened as possible, but they were walking a fine line. Breaking a bone stresses the body, and they didn't want to overstress the still weak child too much, but surgery of any kind is stressful, so they wanted to get them taken care of in as few attempts of possible.

Taylor made the incision in the boy's upper left leg while Xavier watched his vital signs and monitored the levels of oxygen and anesthetic moving through the mask. The first bones on the list were the large thighbone, the femur, and the larger of the two lower leg bones, the tibia. The femur looked as though it had suffered a lateral fracture, either from being kicked or stomped on, while the tibia seemed to have suffered no trauma. Xavier and Taylor had already speculated that brittle fracture, due to malnutrition and no sunlight, had caused the smaller bone to break. Breaking any bone is painful, but the femur is the largest bone in the body, and the fracturing of it had to have caused unbelievable agony. The fact that the child survived and the bone partially healed on its own was a miracle in of itself. With no medical care and abuse coming in from all sides, the shock alone could have killed him.

Taylor exposed the two malshaped bones, and Xavier tried to ignore the whine of the bone saw as he cut through them at the site of the previous breaks. The femur produces more blood than any other bone, so Xavier continuously had to suction it away as it welled up and obstructed their view. Finally the bone was broken into two, and Taylor carefully set them, held them in place, and then nodded at Xavier.

Xavier held his hand out over the broken bone. "Heal," he said softly, and there was a quiet _shnick!_ as it healed back into a single piece instantly. They then repeated the procedure on the tibia, and Xavier healed the skin and parted muscle. They moved their attention to the upper arm bone, the humerus, which had been broken multiple times, and the ball and socket joint of the shoulder, which had been dislocated and then healed in that position. They had to break the humerus is two places – the other breaks had healed straight – and once it was taken care of, they had to cut the tendons and ligaments that supported the shoulder joint so they could pop the ball back into the socket. A quick Curaga spell put the tendons and ligaments back together and realigned them and the muscle back in their proper position. Another Curaga spell, and the incisions closed.

With that done, they cut the anesthetic flowing through the breathing tube, which they they pulled out, and began to wake Xehanort up. Xavier carefully carried him back to his room, laid him down in bed, and covered him with heavy blankets. Shivering was often a side effect of anesthesia, so they wanted him to be covered as he woke up. Taylor stayed in the operating room to clean up there, while Xavier settled down in his usual chair and waited for Xehanort to come around.

After a few minutes, Xehanort began to shift ever so slightly in bed, and then he groaned softly.

Xavier moved from the chair to the bed. "Xehanort? Can you hear me? Open you eyes."

Xehanort groaned again, and his right eye opened a tiny bit. The pupil slowly focused on Xavier, and a second later, Xehanort's other eye peeped open. Xavier smiled at him. "That's it. It's time to wake up."

"Xa'ver?" Xehanort slurred the name.

"I'm here."

"Didn't... leave me?"

"I was with you the entire time, like I promised."

Xehanort managed a wan smile. "Thank you."

Xavier smiled back at him and tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. "You're welcome, little one."

**OOOOOO**

They gave Xehanort's body three days to recover from the stress and shock of surgery before taking him in a second time. This time they took care of his other arm and his ribs, many of which had been broken several times. A few days later, he had a third surgery to repair his right leg and foot. Seeing the damage laid open in front of them, the multiple breaks and the crushed bones of the foot and ankle, Xavier and Taylor were amazed that they had gotten the child to stand and walk so easily. Finally, they did a fourth surgery to remove the worst of the scar tissues across the boy's back that was restricting his movement some.

"I think he's ready to go home." Taylor said quietly as they watched Xehanort sleeping afterwards.

Xavier nodded. "I think you're right."

**OOOOOO**

In the morning, after Xehanort had eaten breakfast, Xavier casually tossed a set of clothes that Elissa had sewn down on the foot of the bed. Xehanort stared at them for a moment, before he looked up at Xavier, puzzled.

"What are those for?" he asked.

"They are for you, child, unless you want to wear a hospital gown out of here?"

Xehanort's eyes widened. "I can leave the hospital?"

Xavier smiled. "Yes, now go take a shower and get dressed."

Xehanort threw the blankets back and scrambled into his small bathroom. He was strong enough to walk around and take care of himself, but just to be safe, Xavier waited outside the door and listened for any signs that the child needed help in some way. Xehanort managed fine on his own though, and about ten minutes later, he came back out, accompanied by a cloud of steam, dressed and looking eager to get going. Xavier gestured him to a nearby chair, where he helped him with his socks and shoes. He then slipped a coat over the boy's still thin frame, and walked him towards the front door. He put his hand on the door handle and paused.

"Are you ready?" he asked, and Xehanort nodded eagerly. Xavier opened the door with a smile, and the spring sunlight spilled through the open doorway. Xehanort stared at the outside world in silence as a breeze ruffled his hair.

"The sun's out." he said quietly "It's been so long. I haven't seen it..." He ducked his head and scrubbed at his eyes for a moment before he looked up at Xavier. "Where do you live?"

"Not too far from here," Xavier replied "But much too far for you to walk right now.

"How am I getting there, then?"

"My father's going to pick us up in just a... Ah, there he is."

Xehanort squinted in the bright light at the sound of clomping hooves, and he frowned in puzzlement. Xavier hid a smile behind his hand at the sight; horses did not exist on the Destiny Islands, so Xehanort had no idea what he was hearing. Finally, a horse and buggy appeared, coming up the road from the hospital, and Xehanort took a step back.

"What kind of animal is that?" he whispered.

"It's a horse. We use them for for pulling carts and wagons, and for riding."

"They aren't... mean or anything are they?"

"No, not normally, but like any other animal, they can get that way if they're mistreated. My family's horses are well cared for and don't have a mean bone in their body, so you have nothing to worry about there."

Xehanort nodded, but he still took a step closer to Xavier as the buggy approached. Xavier gently laid a hand on his shoulder as the buggy pulled up in front of them and stopped.

"Hello there!" Jascha said cheerfully from the driver's seat "You must be Xehanort."

Xehanort whimpered as he ducked his head, and then he quickly stepped back to stand behind Xavier. Xavier turned to face him and leaned down to look him in the eye.

"He's not going to hurt you, Xehanort." he said softly "Remember that you are safe with me, and no one will hurt you here."

Xehanort shook his head slightly and looked down at the ground, shaking, and said nothing. Xavier gathered the frightened child to him and held him for a moment until his shivering subsided. "Are you ready now?"

Xehanort nodded, but he didn't look up as Xavier walked him up to the buggy and helped him climb in. Jascha looked upset at the boy's fear, and Xavier shrugged his shoulders at him as he sat down in the seat next to Xehanort, who nestled close to him and hid his face. The short ride to the farm was silent save for the creaking of the wheels and the clopping of the horse's hooves against the road, and Xehanort kept his face hidden in Xavier's jacket the entire time. When they reached the house, Xavier was pleased to see that it appeared as though no one was home, though he was certain that his mother was there at least. That was confirmed when he ushered Xehanort through the front door, and she was there, waiting for them.

"Hello, Xehanort." she said gently, and Xehanort looked up at her briefly before he cast his eyes back down towards the floor. He didn't attempt to hide though, and Xavier remembered that Dilan had told him that almost all of the boy's abusers had been male, so he likely didn't find women as frightening.

"Please don't be afraid, sweetheart." Elissa continued as she leaned over until she was eye level with him "It's going to be okay. You're safe here."

Xehanort kept silent, and after a moment, Xavier began to walk him towards the stairs. "Let me show you your room." Xehanort didn't look up, and rather than have him fall up the stairs because he wasn't paying attention, Xavier simply scooped him up and carried him up to the second floor and to the room that the family used as a sickroom.

It was only one of two bedrooms in the house that had a fireplace, so if someone fell ill or was injured during colder weather, they moved into the medium sized bedroom until they were recovered. At one time, it had been Isa and Lea's room, and before that, it had been Xavier's during his recovery from the meningitis that had struck Master Xehanort down shortly before Braig had abandoned him in Haven's Bridge. Once Xavier had been deemed well enough, he had moved into a different bedroom, the one he currently occupied.

A fire was already going in the fireplace, and the room was pleasantly warm when Xavier carried Xehanort through the door and sat him down on the bed. The teenager looked around the spartan room for a moment – since it had no permanent resident it had only the barest essentials, though Xavier noted a newquilt lying across the bed – before he looked back down at the floor again.

"Do I have to stay here?" he asked quietly "Can't you take me home?"

Xavier sat down beside him. "Not yet, little one. I still have to find the Destiny Islands before I can take you back."

Xehanort looked up at him just as a single tear ran down his face. "I just... I want..." He fell silent and shook his head. "I just want to go home."

Xavier reached out and gently stroked the boy's hair. "I know, and I wish I could take pick you up and carry you back to your parents, but I can't do that now."

Xehanort looked away and heaved a sigh. "I know, but... I miss them, and I..." He paused and leaned against Xavier, who wrapped his arms around him. "I'm scared."

"I understand, little one. I know that you're afraid, and again, I promise you that you are safe with me."

Xehanort said nothing in response, and Xavier was content to hold him for a while, but after a few minutes, he spoke again.

"Do I have to meet your family today? May I just stay up here for now?"

"For now, but you're going to have to face them soon."

"I don't think I can handle seeing too many people right now. You said that no one would hurt me here, but your father's voice made me think I was back _there_ for a second, and I don't want that feeling again."

"What you're feeling, little one, is called Post Traumatic Stress, and it's perfectly normal after going through what you suffered, but hiding will not make it go away."

"It will go away, will it?"

"It time, it will."

Xehanort looked up again him again. "How much time? Days? Weeks? Months? _Years_?"

"There is no way to know. It's different for each person." Xehanort sniffled and wiped at his eyes, and Xavier made a mental note to ask Isa if he would be willing to come and talk to him. He, of all people, knew best the fear that Xehanort was feeling. Isa hadn't been fearful of everyone around him, largely because he had been mostly isolated while imprisoned, but Xavier hoped that Xehanort would still be able to relate to him. Finding someone that understood his fear would help him immensely.

"Xavier?" Xehanort asked hesitantly, and Xavier looked at him. "Would you please stay in here with me, at least for today? I don't, I don't want to be alone."

"Of course, I will. I'll stay as long as you need me to. Do you want to lie down and take a little rest?" Xehanort looked at the bed, which even Xavier had to admit looked rather inviting, and nodded.

"I am a little tired." he admitted, and then he looked back at Xavier. "Promise you won't leave me?"

"I promise."

Xehanort shrugged his jacket off, and Xavier draped it over a nearby chair before he helped the boy take off his shoes. Xehanort laid down against the pillows, and Xavier pulled the new quilt over him.

"This looks new." he said with a small yawn, and Xavier smiled at him and brushed his hair out of his face.

"My mother loves to sew, so she likely made this for you."

"Nice of her." Xehanort mumbled sleepily as he curled up on his side and closed his eyes. "I like it. It's warm."

"She'll be happy to hear that. Now go to sleep. I'll wake you for lunch."

"Xavier?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thank you for letting me stay."

Xavier leaned over and kissed him softly on the side of his head. "You're welcome. Sleep well, little one."

**OOOOOO**

Xavier dropped into bed, exhausted, and closed his eyes. Finally, he would be able to get some sleep. It had been a long day, even though it had consisted mostly of sitting with Xehanort while the child clung to him. His mother had brought lunch up for them, but Xehanort had been so nervous that he had only been able to choke down a few bites of it before putting down his fork. Xavier had tried to get him to eat more, but the teenager had insisted that doing so would make him sick, so he had let it go.

When the sun dipped below the horizon in the early evening, the encroaching darkness, plus the return of the rest of the family had only worsened Xehanort's fear, and the boy cried if he thought for a second that Xavier was going to leave him. The teenager hadn't been able to eat any dinner, and there had been a few times that Xavier feared he was going to be sick. He had patiently explained that he would be sleeping in the bedroom right next door and would be able to hear him if he called out, but the child had been so terrified of being alone it had taken over an hour of holding him on his lap and rocking him in the rocking chair before he had finally fallen asleep. Xavier had carefully tucked Xehanort into bed, stocked the fireplace so the fire would last for a few hours more, and then gone to his own room to get some sleep.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned; he hoped that Xehanort's fear would settle down soon. Being so afraid constantly would have a negative impact on his health and set him back, and that he couldn't afford. Hopefully, Xehanort would at least sleep through the night; he needed all the rest he could get to handle the child's fear come morning.

Xavier settled down, and he allowed himself to relax. He just needed to get Xehanort through this difficult adjustment period (Which hopefully would be brief, but he doubted it.) and things would get easier from there. He yawned again as he began to drift off, and within another minute or so he was asleep.

**OOOOOO**

_Please, don't hurt me anymore! I just want to go home!_

_What have I done wrong? Why are you doing this to me!_

_Don't come any closer! Stay away!_

_It hurts! Please, no more! I'm sorry!_

**OOOOOO**

Xavier bolted upright in bed just as a scream shattered the silence of the house. He leapt out of bed and ran from his room to Xehanort's to find the teenager huddled in the shadows of a corner, crying. He heard others coming to investigate the scream as he knelt in front of the shaking child and hoped that none of them came into the room. Xehanort was frightened enough as it was.

"Xehanort?" he said gently as he scooped the boy up and settled down into the rocker with him "It was just a nightmare, little one."

"Xavier!" Xehanort wailed as he grasped Xavier's nightshirt with both hands and hid his face "Please don't go! Please don't leave me alone!"

"I'm not going to leave you, Xehanort. Now calm down. It was just a dream. I have you, and you're safe."

Elissa walked quietly into the room then, and Xehanort jumped in fright and nestled as close to Xavier as he could.

Xavier rocked him. "It's alright. It's just my mother. She's just building the fire back up. See?" Xehanort slowly turned his head towards the fireplace just as Elissa put a few more logs on to brighten up the room. Xehanort shuddered and hid his face again as she walked out, and they could hear her shooing the others back to bed.

"Please, may I stay with you tonight, Xavier?" Xehanort pleaded desperately "I won't be a bother. I'll just sleep on the floor. Please, I don't want to be alone!"

Xavier used his thumb to wipe some of Xehanort's tears away. "You have to stay in here, child. The rest of the house is too cold for you, and you are most certainly not sleeping on the floor."

"Don't leave me alone. I don't... I can't. Please don't go!" Xehanort began to cry again, and Xavier held him close.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay in here with you." Xehanort whimpered through his tears. "Shhhh, I'm right here."

Xavier rocked Xehanort until the boy calmed and began to fall asleep, and then he stood up, intending to put him back to bed. No sooner had he done so though, than the teenager's eyes flew open, and he clung tightly to Xavier's nightshirt again.

"Don't go! Don't leave me!"

"I'm going to be right next door, Xehanort."

Xehanort wailed, and Xavier sighed and scooped him back up. Now what?

"Xavier," came Elissa's voice from the doorway, and he turned his head to see her standing there "Lie down with him."

"What?" Was she telling him to sleep in the same bed with him?

"Lie down with him, just like I did when you were sick and frightened after you were brought here. There's nothing wrong with it. He's upset and scared, and he needs you to hold and comfort him. If he has another nightmare, you'll be able to wake him quickly, and I'm sure that he'll sleep much better with you to hold on to."

Xavier looked back at the crying child in his arms. Xehanort was looking at him with tear filled eyes, pleading with him, and holding his shirt in a white knuckled grip.

"Alright," he conceded with a sigh "If it will get you back to sleep."

Xehanort gave him a teary smile, and Xavier laid him down on one side of the bed, closer to the fireplace. He then laid down beside him, and he couldn't resist a small smile when Xehanort snuggled close to him. Elissa walked into the room them, and she pulled the quilt over the both of them, before she kissed them both. Xehanort shivered at the touch, but he did not cry or make any sort of protest. Elissa then left the room, and once they were alone, Xehanort closed his eyes and settled down with a sigh.

"M'sorry I'm so much trouble." he mumbled sleepily.

"It's no trouble, little one." Xavier replied gently as he wrapped one arm around Xehanort and pulled him closer "You can't help your fear now."

"I wish it would go away."

"It will in time. Now go to sleep. I'm right here, and I'll keep the nightmares away."

Xehanort smiled slightly, and he fell asleep quickly. Xavier, however, remained awake for a while longer, watching the dancing flames in the fireplace. As he finally began to nod off, he thought he heard someone crying softly, and a single tear ran down his face.


	5. Chapter 5

**5.**

When Xavier blinked his eyes open in the morning, he quickly realized that there was a child curled up against him, and he looked down to see a mop of white hair poking out from under the quilt. Xehanort was sound asleep, his breathing deep and even, and Xavier carefully scooted away from him so not to wake him up, and got out of bed. Xehanort whimpered softly, so Xavier gently tucked the blankets around him before he left the room to get ready for the day.

After he finished his morning routine, he went downstairs just as the rest of the family was finishing up with breakfast. He sat down in his usual spot at the table, and his mother put a plate with ham, eggs, and biscuits in front of him. The usual chatter faded and stopped as everyone turned to look at him, and Jascha asked the question.

"How is he?"

Xavier sighed. "Still sleeping at the moment. I hope that I can get him to eat today. He skipped two meals yesterday, and he can't afford to be doing that."

"Are you going to be staying close to him today?"

Xavier swallowed a drink of coffee and nodded. "Likely. I doubt he's ready to be left alone right now."

Jascha nodded. "Do what you need to do. He's more important than anything else right now."

The rest of the family filtered out then to begin the day's work – planting season was almost upon them, so there were many preparations to make – while Xavier accepted a second plate of breakfast and a big glass of apple juice from his mother and took it upstairs to check on Xehanort.

The boy was still sleeping, but his nose twitched with Xavier set the plate down in the nightstand. His stomach rumbled then, and Xavier couldn't hold back a smile as he shifted in bed, and then rolled over to face the food as his eyes opened.

"Good morning." Xavier said quietly, and Xehanort sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Good morning," he replied with a yawn. He looked at the plate then, and his stomach rumbled again. "Is that for me?"

Xavier nodded. "I want you to eat as much as you can. You skipped two meals yesterday. After you eat, you can bathe and dress, and we'll go from there."

Xehanort nodded eagerly, and Xavier had to warn him to eat slowly as he began to hungrily devour his breakfast. While the boy ate, he went to the bathroom and drew him a bath, and once Xehanort was finished eating and was sitting in the tub, scrubbing himself down, Xavier took the plate to the kitchen to be washed and wondered what to do. He knew that Xehanort was in no way ready to be left to his own devices in a house full of people that he didn't know, but he certainly didn't want the boy hiding in his room all day either. He was still not strong enough for most physical activity, but he needed to get moving to start rebuilding his strength.

He waited outside the bathroom door for Xehanort to come out. "Would you like to go for a bit of a walk outside?"

Xehanort blinked at him and was silent for a moment. "I... guess?" he said finally, looking up at Xavier uncertainly.

Xavier draped one arm around the boy's thin shoulders. "You've been cooped up for too long; you need fresh air and sunshine."

They walked back to Xehanort's bedroom, but his coat was missing from the hook, and Xavier realized that his mother had likely collected it to be washed. Instead, he had to give the boy one of his own Black Coats, which, thanks to the inherit magic that was made into them, sized itself to fit him. Xehanort stared at it in awe for moment, and the look on his face reminded Xavier of the first time his original self had seen Master Limahl perform magic. The summoning of the keyblade had barely made him raise an eyebrow, but true magic had thrown him for a loop, and Eraqus had gotten a good laugh at his fellow apprentice's facial expression. Still the sight of Xehanort in a Black Coat, the uniform of the Organization, made Xavier feel a little uneasy, and he resolved not to have him wear it again if he could help it.

He carried the child downstairs and walked him out the front door. The cool spring air hit them, and Xehanort yelped and dove behind Xavier.

"What is it, Xehanort?"

"It's cold! You didn't tell me it was cold!"

"It's not cold." And it wasn't, at least not to Xavier. With the normal harsh winter of Haven's Bridge giving way to spring, the 40 degree weather was practically balmy. Xavier remembered that his original self had had quite an adjustment period after the leaving the tropical, nearly always summer, Destiny Islands, yet Xehanort's memories were faked, so he should have no intolerance for colder weather.

"It is too!" Xehanort looked up at him. "Can I go back inside until it's warmer?"

Xavier opted to play along for the moment. "It's never going to get as warm as you're used to. Our summers are much milder here. Besides, you do need to get some exercise, so why don't we just walk to the pasture and see the horses, and then you can go back in." He pulled Xehanort's hood up. "You'll get used to the weather quickly."

"I don't want to get used to it." Xehanort grumbled from within the shadows of the hood "I want to go back to where it's warm." Even as he grumbled, he allowed Xavier to guide him away from the house and towards the barn and horse pasture, where several of the horses were grazing contentedly. A few other horses, an elderly gelding, and a mare with a young foal, were in the barn, sheltered from the colder air.

One of the horses, a middle aged bay mare that was a favorite of Xavier's, spotted the two as they approached and trotted up to the fence to greet them. Xavier reached out and ran his hand down the soft fur of her neck, and she reached out and lipped gently at his hair. Xehanort watched silently, and once the horse had noticed him, she reached out with her soft, velvety nose to investigate him. He stepped back in fear and surprise, and Xavier coaxed him forward.

"This is Hannah." he said quietly "She won't hurt you; she's a gentle soul, and she was the first horse I made friends with. She also loves children. Here." He gently took Xehanort's hand and held it out for Hannah to sniff. Xehanort closed his eyes and turned his head, but Hannah only ran her short, course whiskers over the back of his hand before she lipped it twice and moved away.

Xehanort opened his eyes and looked at her as she stepped away. "That's it?"

"She knows that you're afraid of her." Xavier said quietly "So she backed away."

Xehanort swallowed, and he took a tentative step forward and hesitantly reached out with one hand. Hannah stepped up to him and ran her nose across his hand again, while Xavier smiled as he watched the two interact with each other. Hannah then stretched out and lipped at Xehanort's hair, which caused the boy to laugh quietly.

"What does it mean when they do that?" he asked.

"That's one of the ways horses show affection."

"So she likes me?"

Xavier nodded and smiled again. "She does."

Xehanort smiled, and he slowly reached up and ran his hand down the horse's neck. Xavier stood back and watched as Hannah began to coax the timid child from his shell.

"You said they can be ridden?" Xehanort asked without taking his eyes off of the animal in front of him.

Xavier nodded, even though he knew Xehanort wasn't looking at him. "They can."

"Could you teach me?"  
"Once you're a little stronger, then yes, I will teach you."

Xehanort turned away from Hannah for a moment and smiled the most beautiful, genuine smile that Xavier had ever seen. He then turned back to Hannah just as another horse, a blue Appaloosa mare named Kema, approached, wanting some attention as well. Not longer after, a palomino gelding by the name of Tater ("Alexander named him." Xavier explained.) came up to the fence, and soon, Xehanort had nearly the entire herd of horses gathered in front of him, all vying for his attention. The boy smiled and laughed as he petted the horses, and Xavier just stood back and watched.. He could see his mother watching from the house with a smile of her own, and he could also see Masa watching from the tool shed with a grin.

A few minutes later, Xavier felt darkness fizzling across his skin, and he took a protective step towards Xehanort just as he felt a portal open nearby. He couldn't tell who it was, but even though only Even and Roxas knew where to find him, there was always the possibility that they would be forced to give him up.

"Xavier!"

Xehanort darted over to him at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, and Xavier felt a small prickle of fear as he wrapped one arm around the boy's shoulders. He then spotted Roxas coming from the house, and he tried to shove the fear off, but for some reason it would not leave, and it strengthened as Roxas approached. Roxas waved, and Xehanort stepped close and wound his arms tightly around Xavier, shaking.

"He's not going to hurt you." Xavier murmured soothingly as he stroked the boy's hair. "He's not going to take you away." Xehanort just whimpered and hid his face in Xavier's coat as Roxas walked up to them.

"We need to talk." Roxas said simply, and his eyes flicked down to where Xehanort was.

Xavier looked down at the frightened child that was clinging to him. "Do you want to go to your room and wait while Roxas and I talk?" Xehanort shook his head, and his arms tightened, and Xavier looked back up at Roxas. "Can it be said in front of him?"

Roxas looked down at Xehanort. "It can, but he's not going to like it."

"Let's go inside then." Xavier gently nudged Xehanort forward, but the boy refused to move, so he gently scooped him up and carried him towards the house. Strangely, the fear that he was feeling eased some once Xehanort was in his arms, but it did not go away.

They walked into the house, and once they were inside the back door, they left their boots and coats in the mud room and then walked into the parlor and sat down, where Elissa brought them warm apple cider. Roxas and Xavier drank theirs, while Xehanort simply clung to Xavier and refused to touch his.

"They're looking for him." Roxas said simply after he drank down about half of his cider. "His escape was noted less than a day after you took him out, and now everyone knows that he's gone. They're all looking for him."

Xehanort whimpered again and nestled closer, and Xavier kissed him lightly on the top of his head before he looked at Roxas seriously. "How hard are they looking?"

"Very hard. They're certain that he's going to meet up with Isa and Braig somewhere and rain hell down upon us all."

Xehanort grimaced; in order to keep it a secret that Even and the others had aided him, Braig's death had been kept quiet, and only those that had been in the Keyblade Graveyard that day knew about it. "Do they know anything about Dilan's role?"

Roxas shook his head. "No, not yet at least. They interrogated all of the guards at the prison, and Dilan was absolved of any blame, but there's always the chance that they'll come back to him. Some people are saying that you were responsible, while others are insisting that you must be dead somewhere, because you haven't been seen or heard from in so long."

Xavier smirked. "Good. They can just keep thinking that. Do you think they'll start checking the worlds anytime soon?"

Roxas shook his head again. "I doubt it. There are too many worlds and not enough people to check them. Even if they did, how many times did we travel the universe? And we never found this place, but to be on the safe side, I wouldn't go world hopping any time soon. I'm going to stop by Lea and Isa's and tell them the same thing."

"Has anyone made any noises about where Lea vanished off to?"

"Not really. I know Sora's curious, but after hearing of the state Isa was in, he's already figured out that wherever Lea is, he's with Isa, and he's kept quiet about it." Roxas looked a little saddened, and Xavier knew it was because his insistence to Lea that Isa had deserved to be locked up had greatly strained their friendship. They were still friends, but not as close as they used to be.

Roxas stood up. "I'm off to Lea and Isa's. Tell your mom I said thanks for the cider."

"Thank you for the warning, Roxas."

He nodded his head. "I'll show myself out." He walked out of the room, and a few seconds later came the sound of the front door opening and shutting. Only then did that uneasy fear finally cease.

Xavier looked down at Xehanort, who was still clinging to him. "Are you going to drink your cider? It will warm you up."

Xehanort shook his head. "They're looking for me." he whispered.

Xavier took mug out of his hand and set it aside before he dropped it, which prompted the boy to climb up on to his lap and put his arms around his neck. He then wrapped his arms around the child and held him. "Yes," he said quietly "they're looking for you, but they're not going to find you, because no one is going to give you up."

"But what about Dilan? Didn't he help me? What if he tells?"

"Dilan did tell Even about you, who then told me, but Dilan won't tell anyone where you went. He'll keep your secret."

"And if someone forces him to tell?"

"Then they still won't know where you are, because only two people know what world I'm living on and where it is."

"But what if they find me?" Xehanort shivered and Xavier soothingly ran a hand up and down his back.

"Then they will have to go through me to get to you." Xehanort laid his head down, and Xavier ran his fingers through his hair. "I won't let anyone take you away from me."

"Why are they looking for me? Why did they hurt me? What did I do wrong?"

"You did nothing wrong, little one. Nothing at all." _I'm the one who committed the wrongs. _"I don't know why they hurt you," _Lies... _"but I will make sure that it never happens again."

Xehanort raised his head, and he managed a feeble smile. Xavier hugged him eased him off of his lap and back onto the couch, before he handed back his mug of cider. "Drink that. It'll make you feel better."

Xehanort looked down at the brownish colored liquid inside and wrinkled his nose. "What is it?"

"It's apple cider."

"Apple? I've never heard of that before. What is it?"

"It's a fruit that grows on trees. Apple trees prefer cooler climates, so you won't find them in tropical areas like the Destiny Islands. Cider is made when you crush and press apples to squeeze the juice out. The apple juice that you had with you breakfast is made when you make cider and then filter it to get the larger particles out."

Xehanort nodded, and then he shrugged and took a sip. He smiled slightly at the taste and began to drink it down, while Xavier put an arm around his shoulders and drank in the quiet.

**OOOOOO**

In the afternoon, Lea came by for his daily training, and to Xavier's surprise, Xehanort boldly walked forward and greeted him with only a second's hesitation. Of course right after the introductions were done, he scurried back inside the house to escape the cold and watched from the kitchen windows. Xavier stared after him for a moment before Lea cleared his throat, and he shook his head and turned his attention to his apprentice.

Even though he had been apprenticed only two years before, Lea was very advanced, and Xavier privately thought that he might give him the Mark of Master exam within another year or so, maybe even sooner. If Sora and Riku could take it after seven years of being self taught (Five years for Roxas.), then Lea surely would be ready after three years under a Master. Of course that led to thoughts of exactly how he was going to test him, but he shoved those aside as he summoned his own keyblade and told Lea to come at him. He would worry about the Mark of Mastery some other time.

Less than ten minutes later it became clear after Lea made his fourth novice mistake that his heart wasn't into training, so Xavier called a halt. He dismissed his keyblade, which prompted Lea to do the same, and he walked up to him and put his hands on his shoulders.

"Roxas' warning?" he stated, and Lea nodded.

"What if they find us?" Lea whispered "I don't want to lose Isa again."

"And you won't. No one here will let anything happen to him, especially not you or I."

"Yeah, and if they take us out of the equation?" Lea snarked, and Xavier thought for a second that Master Limahl would have sentenced him to a day of tedious, boring, repetitive chores for such an attitude.

"They won't. Anyone looking to take you down will have a hard time, and as your master, I am bound and obliged to protect you."

"And you've been taken down twice already!"

"Lea!" Xavier's voice cracked the air like a whip as a warning, and then it softened. "My Heartless and Nobody were defeated. My full self has yet to be defeated, and if anyone tries to lay a hand on you, they will have me to deal with."

Lea's shoulder's slumped. "I'm sorry, but I worry about him, you know? He almost _died_ back then, Xavier."

"I know, Lea, believe me, I know, but Isa is stronger now, and the two of us will do whatever it takes to keep him safe. If it makes you feel better, if things ever go to hell here, take Isa and portal to the Land of Departure. Master Aqua will protect you both."

"Along with Master Terra." Lea said with a small smile.

Xavier laughed quietly. "Yes, along with Master Terra." He squeezed Lea's shoulders. "Look, go home for now. We can pick this back up tomorrow. Stay with Isa, and bring him over for dinner later. You know Mama loves having the both of you over anyway."

"You mean she likes trying to fatten us both up."

"It's not her fault that you two are so thin."

"I've always been skinny and Isa, well..." Lea shrugged. "He's been thin since we rescued him."

Xavier smiled faintly. "Try not to hover around him too much. You know how he hates that.'

"I know, but I can't help it when I worry about him."

"Go home, Lea. I'll see you and Isa tonight."

Lea nodded and walked away, and Xavier walked back into the house via the kitchen door, where he found Xehanort waiting for him.

"Is everything alright?" he asked hesitantly as Xavier took off his boots and hung his jacket up.

"Everything's fine. Lea's just a little worried about Isa, that's all."

"Oh," Xehanort looked down at the tabletop for a moment, and then he looked back up. "What was that weapon you were using?"

Xavier sat down at the table across from him. "Hmm? Oh, this?" He held out his hand and summoned his keyblade. The weapon appeared as it always did, and Xehanort's eyes widened in surprise. He got up from his chair and came around the table to look at it closer. Even though he had seen in thousands of times, in this life, and the previous one, Xavier felt new curious himself, so he also turned to look at the keyblade closely.

The weapon looked the same as it had when he had first summoned it as a fourteen year old living on the Land of Departure. The day after he had summoned it during a desperate attempt to protect Eraqus and himself from a horde of Heartless, Master Limahl had named it Dark Gaze, and even then, Xehanort had had the strongest impression that the weapon's appearance had unnerved his master greatly. A few years later, when Eraqus summoned his own keyblade, which Master Limahl then named the Master Keeper, Xehanort had begun to suspect that his master felt uneasy about him.

That wasn't to say that Master Limahl disliked him; Xavier knew that that wasn't true. The keyblade master had been a father figure to Xehanort just as he had been to Eraqus, and he had praised his accomplishments, taught him to learn from his mistakes, and punished him when warranted. Xehanort had admired the man greatly, and Xavier knew that Master Limahl's pride when Xehanort had passed the Mark of Mastery had been real.

He shook his head free from the old memories as the his Xehanort eyed the keyblade and hesitantly reached out to touch it. He smiled and held it out for the boy to take – he likely would have his own soon anyway.

Xehanort's eyes widened, and he sent Xavier a questioning look.

"Go ahead." Xavier said with a small smile, and Xehanort reached out with his small hand and hesitantly gripped the keyblade on the hand grip above Xavier's hand. Xavier let go, and Xehanort pulled the weapon towards him and looked at it closely. With him distracted, it was a perfect chance to take a close look at his heart.

Xehanort's heart was pretty much as he suspected; a child's heart that was mostly full of light. He had more darkness than normal, but that was to be expected after a month of horrendous abuse. Hopefully it was shrink as Xehanort healed and settled in. And right there should be the mark of the keyblade...

Wait...

Xavier looked harder at Xehanort's heart; as a Replica of him, he should have the mark on his heart that showed that he was a chosen of the keyblade. Xion had had it, and according to Even and Lea, so had the Riku Replica.

Yet, it wasn't there.

_Where is it? _he thought as he looked around, but it was nowhere to be found. Xehanort had not been chosen by the keyblade.

"Xavier?" came a hesitant voice, accompanied by a spike of fear and worry, and Xavier looked away from Xehanort's heart and found the boy looking at him with wide, worried eyes. His hands were empty; Dark Gaze had unsummoned itself in response to his uncertainty. "What's wrong?"

Xavier gave him a reassuring smile. "Nothing's wrong, little one. Everything's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Your... sword vanished."

Xavier smiled at him again. "It does that when it feels it is no longer needed, but all I have to do is call for it again, and..." He held his hand out, and Dark Gaze reappeared, which made Xehanort's eyes nearly pop out of his head. "See?"

"Wow..." Xehanort leaned in close to look at it again. "How did you get this? What is it?"

"It is called a keyblade. They are very special weapons, meant to hold back the dark and protect the worlds. At one time, keyblade wielders numbered in the thousands, but now there are only about ten of us. When I was a teenager, a keyblade master saw that I had potential, so he offered to train me as his apprentice. It was an offer that I accepted, and now I am a master myself, and I protect this world while training my own apprentice."

"Lea?"

"Yes, Lea. Keyblade are normally handed down master to apprentice. My master offered his keyblade to me and performed a small ceremony that caused my heart to be marked by the keyblade. Months later, I summoned this one, and I have carried it since. Lea was not marked by me; he summoned his out of desperation two years ago, and then I took him on so he would know how to use it properly."

Xehanort looked at him with bright eyes and an eager smile. "Can you teach me too?"

"If you really want to learn, once you are stronger, I will teach you." He dismissed Dark Gaze and ran his hand down the boy's hair just as Elissa walked into the kitchen to start lunch. "But for now, it is nearly lunchtime, so let's go wash up and see if Mama needs any help."

Xehanort helped make lunch without any fear or hesitation, and he was quiet during the preparations. It wasn't quiet borne out of fear, but rather the quiet borne out of deep thoughts. Xavier could see the wheels turning in the boy's head, and he remembered how his original self had been consumed by this ache; to find something else, to leave the Destiny Islands, because he had _known_ somehow that there were something special out there waiting for him. Watching Xehanort help in the kitchen, deep in thought, Xavier couldn't help but compare the two.

Once the table was set and the food was laid out, Xavier went out back and called everyone else in. They came in, loud, boisterous, and full of laughter and jokes, and Xehanort once again darted over to Xavier's side and clung to him as everyone else found seats around the table. Elissa spotted them standing off to the side, and she smiled and waved them over as Masa and Heras shuffled over to make room.

"It is alright." Xavier whispered to the frightened child as they walked up to the table. "These people are family. None of them will hurt you." They walked up to the table, and he coaxed Xehanort into sitting in the chair beside Elissa, and then he sat down next to him. "I'm right there with you, Xehanort. Now ignore them, and focus on me."

Xehanort slowly raised his gaze from the tabletop, and when their eyes met, Xavier found himself seized with the urge to bolt from the table and find a dark, quiet place to hide, but he shoved it down and concentrated on calming Xehanort's fear and getting him to eat. "Look at me. Just look at me. No one else is here with us. It's just the two of us, and I won't let anything happen to you. Are you focused on me?" Xehanort swallowed heavily and nodded. "Good, now just stay focused on me and eat."

Xehanort picked up his fork with a shaking hand and began to eat, but he kept his eyes on Xavier, and Xavier smiled at him again and began to eat his own lunch. Around them the rest of the family finished their meals and trickled back outside to resume whatever work they had been doing, and as they left, Xehanort relaxed more and more. Finally only he, Xavier, and Elissa were left in the dining room, and Xehanort managed to clear his plate and put his fork down.

Xavier wiped his mouth with his napkin, tossed it down onto his plate, and opened his arms. Xehanort gratefully hopped out of his chair and climbed up onto his lap.

"I'm proud of you." Xavier said quietly as the rocked the still trembling boy in his arms "You were frightened, but you managed to function despite it. You did very well."

Xehanort snuggled closer and said nothing, and after a moment, Xavier felt him relax, and a downward glance showed that he had dozed off. He smiled and laughed quietly as he stood up and carried the boy upstairs for a nap.

**OOOOOO**

Xehanort napped for about an hour, and once he was awake, Xavier showed him around the rest of the farm; the barn, the cattle, the chickens, and the fields and showed him how they cared for the animals and worked the land. Xehanort was fascinated by it all, and before they knew it, it was almost time for dinner. As they had with lunch, they went inside, washed up, and offered Elissa their help, which she gladly accepted. Just as they were setting the table and waiting for the food to finish cooking, there was a knock at the front door, followed by the sound of it opening, and Isa's voice calling out the standard greeting: "Hello the house!".

"In here, Isa!" Elissa called back, and after a moment, Isa appeared in the dining room. Elissa waved him to a seat at the table, and he sat down next to Xehanort, who looked up him with mild curiosity.

"Where's Lea?" Xavier asked as he helped carry the food to the table.

"He went out back to see if anyone needed a hand finishing up."

"How have you been, Isa?" Elissa asked as she set the main course – a large pot of roast – in the center of the table.

"I've been good, aside from Lea's hovering. I had to threaten to shove Lunatic someplace unpleasant before he backed down."

Elissa smiled. "He's just worried about you."

"I know he is, and that's why I didn't make good on my threat."

"What is Lunatic?" Xehanort asked, and Isa turned to him to answer his question, so Xavier used his distraction to step outside and call the the rest of the family in. He then returned to the dining room and sat down on Xehanort's other side, just in time to see Isa lean down and whisper to Xehanort.

"It will get easier."

"It will?" Xehanort said softly.

"It will." Isa smiled at him. "I know it's frightening right now, but no one on this world will try to hurt you or take you away. Just take things one day at a time, and they will get better."

Xehanort gave him a tentative smile, and Isa lightly ruffled the boy's hair just as the rest of the family came inside to wash up.

"You hate it when I do that." Lea said as he sat down on Isa's other side.

"That's because you're annoying about it."

"Hey!"

Xehanort giggled quietly at the two of them, and Xavier nearly sagged with relief to hear it. He didn't know why Xehanort's fear had dropped off so sharply, but he wasn't going to complain about it. Instead he filled up a plate and set it in front of Xehanort, but he was so busy talking to Isa that Isa had to point to it and remind him to eat. Xehanort picked up his fork, but he had Isa talked quietly throughout the meal, though Xavier couldn't hear their conversation over the babble of the other voices around the table.

After the meal was eaten and the cleanup was done, Isa and Lea made to head home, and Xavier was shocked further when Xehanort gave Isa a hug and allowed himself to be hugged in return. Isa and Lea then departed, and the rest of the family scattered around the house to relax before bed. Xehanort yawned, and he didn't fuss or protest when Xavier picked him up and carried him upstairs to get ready for bed.

"Isa told me what happened to him." he said quietly as Xavier helped him dress in his pajamas.

"He did?" Xavier was a little surprised that Isa had disclosed something so painful. He had moved past it, but he still didn't like to speak of it.

Xehanort nodded. "He said that he had a lot of trouble after he was rescued, but he said it gets easier. He said he nearly died and that they're looking for him still. And if you and Isa trust everyone here, then I feel that I should too. If he can live through that and move on, then I can too, right?"

Xavier sat down beside him and put an arm around his shoulders, which prompted him to lean against his side. "Yes, you can." Xehanort looked up at him and gave him a hesitant smile, which was interrupted by another yawn. "C'mon, bedtime for you."

Xehanort obediently crawled under the quilt and curled up on his side. "I'll be downstairs for a bit longer if you need me, and then I'll be in the room next door. Don't hesitate to call out or come get me if you need something."

Xehanort gave him a sleepy smile and closed his eyes as the quilt was patted around his shoulders. "Goodnight."

Xavier leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, little one." He then stood up and walked out of the room, and Xehanort did not call out for him to stay.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Apologies for the long day, but this chapter wanted to be filler, and then I started playing Perfect World International for a while. My wizard just hit level 67 and is FINALLY starting to kick some ass after 60+ levels of being kinda weak, so I was reveling in the new-found ass kickery. **

**6.**

_It was cold. Xehanort shivered and tried to curl up to get warm, but there was the sound of clanking metal, and he felt something go taut, which prevented him from moving too much. The room was dark, so he couldn't see anything, but he could feel the heavy metal rings around his wrists and ankles, and he was confused. He didn't understand where he was or how he had gotten there. He remembered going to bed in his bedroom at home and falling asleep, but he had woken up here, in this dark, cold room. He was lying on a hard floor, and he was wearing only the shorts and shirt he had fallen asleep in. What had happened to him? Where was he?_

_He heard footsteps approaching, and a few seconds later a door opened in front of him, which allowed dim light to enter the room. A shadowed figure stood in the doorway for a moment, watching him._

"_Hello?" he said "Who are you? Where am I? Can you help me get home?"_

_There was a chilling laugh, and then light flared in the room. Xehanort was able to get a glimpse of gray walls, and a heavy wooden door, but then the man in the doorway walked over to one of the walls, where a selection of straps, rods, and other objects were hanging. Xehanort didn't know what most of the things on the wall were, but as the man took a long thin rod down and swished it through the air a few times, he knew that they were not good for him. _

_The man smiled a cruel smile and began to walk towards him, and Xehanort realized that the rod was going to be used on him._

"_Wait!" he protested as he tried to scoot away from the person walking towards him, but the chains prevented it. "Stop! Don't hurt me! What have I done? Please, don't!"_

_The man's eyes lit up with glee, and he brought the rod up. Xehanort ducked his head and looked away just as he heard the rod whistling through the air, and a line of fire erupted on his back between his shoulders. He screamed in pain, and a second later the rod came down a second time. His right shoulder blade broke under the blow with a loud _crack! _and Xehanort screamed in agony as that arm collapsed under him. _

"_Please stop!" he screamed "It hurts! No more!"_

_His attacker ignored him and brought the rod down a third time. _

"_Mom!" he wailed, though he somehow knew with a terrible certainty that his parents were nowhere close and couldn't hear him "Mom! _Mommy!_"_

"_Mommy and Daddy can't save you, you monster." his attacker growled, and down came the rod a fourth time, across the middle of his back, and then a fifth time, and then a sixth..._

**OOOOOO**

Xavier bolted up right in bed, and he just barely managed to stop the scream that wanted to come out. He sat there dripping with sweat, his chest heaving, and told himself firmly that it had been a nightmare, just a bizarre nightmare.

He heard light footsteps approaching his bedroom door, and he flinched slightly before he could stop himself. He looked up just as Xehanort walked into the room, and the child was shivering in his flannel pajamas and socks, and Xavier knew that the shivering wasn't due to the chilly air. The faint moonlight coming through the windows allowed him to see tear tracks on his face as he approached the bed, and he pushed his heavy quilt back and opened his arms.

"Come here, little one." he said quietly, and Xehanort ran to him and climbed up onto the bed and into his arms. He hid his face against Xavier's neck, and Xavier rocked him. "It was just a bad dream, Xehanort. You're here with me, and you're safe." Xehanort began to cry, and Xavier just continued to rock him and hum a soothing melody. After a while, he laid the boy down, laid down beside him, and pulled the quilt over them. Xehanort snuggled close and tucked his head under his chin.

"I want my mom and dad." he said in a tiny voice through his tears "I want to go home."

Xavier closed his eyes; he was beginning to hate having to lie to the child. "I know, child, I know." He gently used his thumb to wipe Xehanort's tears away and kissed him on the top of his head. "As soon as you can be left without me for a day, I'll start looking."

Xehanort nodded and closed his eyes with a sigh, and Xavier looped one arm around him and held him close. After a few minutes, the child's shaking subsided, and then Xavier felt him relax as he fell asleep.

**OOOOOO**

In the morning, Xehanort ate breakfast with the entire family, though once again Xavier had to keep his attention and focus so he could ignore everyone else. After they had eaten, he followed Xavier around the farm and helped him with his chores, as much as he could anyway. He enjoyed helping Xavier groom the horses, and he was fascinated by the one month old foal. He spent a few minutes petting it as Xavier brushed the mother, and afterwards he was allowed to feed it its small ration of oats.

"Are you going to teach me to ride?" he asked after the mare and her foal had been turned out to pasture and they were walking back into the barn to get the next horse.

"Not yet, but yes, I will." Xavier replied as he slipped a halter over Kema's head and clipped a lead on.

"Why not now?"

"Because right now, if you get thrown – and you will, every rider gets thrown sooner or later – you will get hurt. Your bones are a bit fragile still so the shock of hitting the ground could injure you badly."

"How long then?'

"Oh, another month or so."

Xehanort's eyes widened. "That long? But I'll probably be back on the Destiny Islands by then."

_No, you won't._ "If you are, I'll simply come over and bring you here for lessons, if your parents agree of course."_ And I don't mind at all._

"You would do that?"

"Of course I would." Xavier smiled at him and unlatched the stall. "Would you like to learn how to walk a horse?"

Xehanort gave him a brilliant smile, so Xavier handed him the lead and began instructing him on what to do.

Once the chores were done, they went inside to clean up, and Xehanort watched through the kitchen window as Xavier trained Lea. This time Lea was much more focused on his lesson, and it confirmed Xavier's previous thought that he would be ready for the Mark of Master within a year. Once the session was done, Xavier went inside and wasn't surprised to see Xehanort helping with lunch again. His mother shooed him out of the kitchen with instructions to go wash up, and he smiled to himself as he did so. It looked as though his little one was settling down nicely.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and soon Xehanort was slowly climbing up the stairs on legs that shook just a little still to head to bed. Xavier walked behind him in case he fell, but he made it just fine.

"Xavier?" he asked as he laid down in bed so Xavier could tuck him in.

"Hmmm?"

"I feel much better now. Could you … could please go look for my parents?" He gave Xavier a pleading look. "I want to go home."

Xavier smiled gently and brushed the child's hair out of his eyes. "Are you sure that you're ready to be away from me for that long?"

Xehanort nodded hesitantly. "I'll be okay. I want to go home."

"For certain? I don't want to leave and come back to find you had a panic attack while I was gone."

"Yeah, though I wish... I wish I had my Wayfinder with me."

"Oh?" Xavier dug through his memories, and he recalled the star shaped good luck charms made out of shells with a token of some kind in the center. His original self had had one, with blue and white shells and a carved blue sea glass token, but he had left it behind to go with Master Limahl.

"I had it with me when I went to bed." Xehanort said quietly "but it was gone when I woke up."

"When I next head out to look, I'll see if anyone found it."

Xehanort gave him a wide smile. "Do you really think someone might have found it?"

Xavier shrugged. "It's possible. I'll check in with Even the next time I see him." He leaned over and kissed Xehanort on the forehead. "But for now, it's time for bed. Goodnight."

Xehanort smiled at him again. "Goodnight."

Xavier stood up from the bed and walked quietly out of the room, leaving the door open behind him. When he went to bed himself an hour later, he peeked in Xehanort's room to find him curled up under his quilt, sleeping peacefully.

**OOOOOO**

In the morning, after chores were done, Xavier prepared to leave for what Xehanort thought was a search for the Destiny Islands. In reality, he was planning to sneak into Radiant Garden and have a talk with Even if possible. Roxas' warning had him more concerned than he would admit, and since he also needed to ask the scientist a few things about Replicas, it gave him a perfect reason to go pay a visit. He wasn't overly worried about being caught; he knew he had the power and the ability to get out of nearly any situation, but he was going to be careful anyway. Just because he could get out of trouble was no reason to invite it.

Xehanort was nervous about being left behind, but he hid it well. Instead he wished Xavier good luck and a safe journey. Isa, who had come by to deliver candles, offered to keep an eye on him, which Xavier was all to happy to accept. For whatever reason, Xehanort trusted Isa more than anyone else other than Xavier, and he relaxed some to know that Xehanort would be with someone that didn't frighten him.

Once he was certain that Xehanort would be taken care of, Xavier walked a distance away from the house and portaled out. He first portaled to Twilight Town, then to Traverse Town, then to the Mysterious Tower, the Land of Departure, and then finally, to Radiant Garden. He portaled into the empty work and storage areas aside the waterway and waited. He knew that with their sensitivity to Darkness, either Even, Ienzo, Aeleus, or Dilan if he was home, would sense his arrival. He found a dusty chair to sit in and made himself comfortable, knowing that it might take awhile before they were able to break away and come down to talk to him.

He waited for an hour before he heard footsteps coming towards him, and he stood up and backed up into the shadows of a corner just in case as the door opened and Ienzo stepped in. Ienzo flipped the rest of the lights on and pulled up a chair as Xavier came forward.

"What brings you here?" Ienzo asked as Xavier sat back down across from him, cutting right to the chase.

"Roxas came by with a warning the other day." Xavier replied "What else can you tell me?"

Ienzo shrugged. "There is not much more I can tell you. The child's escape from the prison was discovered, and Master Ansem and other world leaders are looking for him, which has renewed the search for Isa, Braig, and yourself."

"Is there any chance that they have any hint of where I might be?"

"None that I know of. I know that Dilan was interrogated but then absolved of any blame in the escape, and since only Even and Roxas know where you are at, few people would think to ask them."

"What about Isa?"

"It is generally accepted that wherever Isa is, Lea is with him, but Sora has managed to divert that search stating that Isa was unfairly and cruelly punished. Roxas relayed how close to death Isa was to Sora, who was shocked, because he honestly had no idea it was that bad. He thought that Isa had been tossed into a prison cell but was otherwise being cared for."

"But they are still looking for him?"

Ienzo nodded. "Yes, they are, but not as hard as they could be."

"So the focus is on Xehanort then."

"If you mean yourself, then no. They are searching hard for you, but the focus is on the child that escaped from the prison. I do not know why they are so worried about finding him. If makes one wonder if they are hiding something."

"I would imagine that they don't want it to be known what they allowed to be done to an innocent thirteen year old boy. It would certainly tarnish their image of upholders of law and justice if that got out."

"Very true. How is he anyway?"

"Much better, at least physically. Mentally, he's still a bit shaky, and that reminds me. How much do you know about Replicas?"

Ienzo shook his head. "Very little. The Replica Program was Vexen's brainchild from start to finish, and Zexion had very little to do with it. Why do you ask?"

"I have a few questions that need answered, but I guess they will have to wait until I have a chance to speak to Even."

"That may take a while." Ienzo stated "Right now, a extremely virulent strain of influenza is making its way through the Garden, and Even and Vexen have their hands full at the infirmary. Speaking of which," Ienzo stood. "I need to get going. They'll probably need my help, if they don't already."

"I hope you aren't carrying it. I don't want to take it home with me."

"You should be fine. I contracted this particular strain as a child, so I am immune."

"That's good to hear. Well, when you see Even, please let him know that I would like to speak to him whenever possible. It's no big hurry though."

"I will do that."

"Thank you, Ienzo."

"You are welcome. Now you had better go before we're caught down here."

Xavier stood up from his chair, waved, and portaled out.

**OOOOOO**

Xavier passed the rest of the day at the Land of Departure, visiting with Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. Terra especially was happy to see him, and they chatted for a while about various things. Neither he, nor Aqua and Ventus, knew about Xehanort, so Xavier opted to keep it that way. The fewer that knew about the boy, the safer he was. He and Aqua also spent some time talking about Lea's progress, and she agreed with him that he would be ready for the Mark of Mastery soon.

He couldn't believe the irony. The three of them had every reason to hate him, yet here they were, chatting like old friends. It warmed his heart to see how many had forgiven him; he tried not to think of those that hadn't.

_I'm sorry, Master Ansem._

He finally returned home several hours later, and it was well after dark when he walked through his front door to find his mother waiting for him. She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek in greeting.

"How was everything today?" he asked as he shrugged his coat off and hung it up.

"Well as could be expected."

"Did Xehanort handle my absence okay?"

"He did well. I could tell that he was nervous, but he tried to hide it and functioned as best he could. Isa stayed around and joined us for lunch and dinner and kept Xehanort distracted."

"Is he in bed?"

Elissa smiled. "Come with me." She walked into the parlor, and Xavier frowned in confusion and followed her.

The room was dimly lit by embers from the dying fire, but it was enough to see Xehanort lying stretched out on the couch under a blanket, sleeping. In a nearby chair was Isa, dozing.

"He refused to go to bed until you came home." Elissa said quietly "And when Isa tried to carry him up the stairs, he woke up and started fussing, so we let him stay down here for the moment. Isa insisted that he would stay until you were home."

Xavier smiled faintly as he walked up to Isa and gently shook him by the shoulder. "Isa. Isa, wake up."

"Mmmm?" Isa mumbled and stirred, and then his eyes opened and blinked at Xavier in tired confusion for a moment "Xavier?"

Xavier smiled again. "It's me. I'm home now, so go on home yourself and get some sleep. I want you to portal home; it's too chilly for you to be out and about for too long."

"Alright, alright."

"Thank you for looking after Xehanort for me."

"Welcome." Isa mumbled with a yawn, and then he portaled out without standing up from the chair.

Xavier turned to Xehanort, who was still sleeping soundly. "Now let's get you into bed, little one." He carefully pulled the blanket back and scooped the slumbering boy up into his arms, but he wasn't careful enough, and Xehanort stirred.

"Xavier?" he mumbled sleepily as his eyes fluttered open.

"Shhhh, yes, it's me. I'm taking you upstairs to bed, so go back to sleep."

"Kay," Xehanort closed his eyes with a small sigh and nestled down into the arms that held him as he was carried upstairs to his room. Xavier got him tucked into bed with no trouble, and the boy curled up under his quilt with a contented sigh. Xavier smiled faintly in the dark room, and after building up the fire so it would keep the room warm for a few hours, left to find his own bed.

**OOOOOO**

Things moved on like normal for the next few days. Xehanort was disheartened that Xavier hadn't found the Destiny Islands, but he simply nodded in understanding and tried to carry on like normal, though it was easy to see that he was upset about it. Xavier stuck by him for a day or so, before he could no longer put off his duties as one of the world's physicians. He was needed, and going into homes with sick and injured people was no place for a child that was still very frail himself.

"You'll come home every night, right?" Xehanort asked uncertainty after Xavier had explained things to him.

Xavier nodded. "I will, I promise."

Xehanort laid his head against Xavier's chest, which prompted the latter to put his arms around him. "Do you think you'll be able to look for the Destiny Islands again soon?"

Xavier gently threaded his fingers through the boy's hair. "I don't know. It all depends on how busy I am, but I will look as soon as I can, okay?"

Xehanort nodded slowly. "Okay."

Xavier stood up from the chair that he had been sitting in and smiled at him. "For now, would you like to help me take care of the horses?"

Xehanort gave him another bright smile and nodded eagerly, so Xavier sent him to put his coat and boots on, and then he led him outside to the barn to begin the day's chores. Once the chores were done, Xavier cleaned up and prepared to leave the house to start his rounds before heading over to the hospital for the evening. Only at night was the hospital left unattended, but he and Taylor were hoping that they would be able to pick up another apprentice that could take the night shift later on. It meant a long day and sometimes the schedule was grueling, but Xavier had loved every second of it. He still enjoyed his work, but now he had a child to care for, and despite Xehanort's words to the contrary, Xavier knew that he was not fine with being separated from him for too long.

As he moved, via Kema, around the few scattered towns that made up Haven's Bridge, checking on his patients, Xavier found himself plagued by a strong feeling of unease and worry, which made it difficult for him to concentrate. He tried to ignore it, but it wasn't until the early afternoon that it finally faded. He returned home to have lunch and check on Xehanort before going to the hospital.

Xehanort was up in his room, napping, and an empty plate and glass on the bedside table showed that he had eaten before falling asleep. Xavier tucked the quilt around him, brushed his hair out of his face, and kissed him lightly on the cheek before he picked up the dishes and went downstairs.

After lunch, Xavier went to the hospital and relieved Taylor. Taylor then departed to check on a few patients that needed more care and attention, after which he would go home for the day. The hospital was empty, so Xavier filled his time by doing inventory and thoroughly dusting the unused areas and making sure they were ready in an instant if they were needed. To his annoyance, the worry and unease returned a few hours into his shift, and like before, it stubbornly refused to leave him.

Once all the work was done, and he was just sitting at the desk in case someone came in, he felt someone portaling in. Under the desk, Dark Gaze appeared in his hand on a just in case, but he relaxed and dismissed the keyblade when Roxas appeared in the doorway. He waved him inside, and Roxas pulled up a chair on the other side of the desk and sat down.

"What brings you here, Roxas?" Xavier asked as he laid the book that he had been reading down.

Roxas shrugged. "Not much, I came mainly to talk to Lea, but I wanted to ask you about the Mark of Mastery."

"What about it? Has Master Yen Sid decided what the three of your are doing yet?"

"I have a feeling we'll be looking for you."

Inwardly Xavier winced, but he kept his worry from his face. "And you know this how?"

"We paid a visit to Merlin." Roxas replied with a wry smile "and heard him mumbling to himself as we approached his house. His voice can really carry."

"I can assume then that you won't be looking too hard in this area?"

"I won't, at least. I can't speak for Sora and Riku, but I'll try and warn you ahead of time, so you can stay out of sight. I doubt they'll be here long."

"I'll have to pass the word around that if two teenaged keyblade wielder's show up asking about me, that people should say they don't know me."

"Do the people here even know who you are?"

"They know, and they don't care. My concern is the chance that Riku or Sora might notice the wards around the houses and mention it to Master Yen Sid or Master Mickey. Keyblade wards are fairly unique, so it wouldn't be hard to figure out who had cast them and how long ago."

"I know that Sora and Riku can't cast them, and I doubt that they can sense them. If I have too, I'll simply say that Lea and Isa are living here, and I visit them all the time, so I know that you're not here."

"Will they believe you? Better yet, with they try to turn either one of them in?"

Roxas shook his head. "They won't, I'm sure of it. Both of them were horrified and furious when they found out about Isa, so they won't say anything, and if I ask them to stay away, they will."

"I hope you're right."

"I am." Roxas said with firm conviction, followed immediately by another grin. "Any idea on how you'll be testing Lea when the time comes?"

Xavier looked at him sharply. "He didn't send you here on a fact finding mission, did he?"

Roxas adopted an innocent look that didn't fool Xavier for an instant. "No, I'm just curious." Then he grinned, and Xavier realized that it was the first time that he had seen him smile.

"Sure you are." Xavier waved him away. "Move right on out of here now. I'm not telling you just so you can run and tell Lea. He'll have to wait and find out, just like you will."

Roxas grinned again and stood up from his chair. "Right away, Master Xavier. As you say, Master Xavier." He snapped a salute

He closed up the hospital just after seven in the evening and started the walk home. His mother, with Xehanort and Alexander's assistance, was putting supper on the table when he came through the front door.

"Xavier's home!" Alexander announced, and the seven year old ran up to him to claim a hug. Xavier returned the hug with a smile before he took off his jacket and boots. He then walked towards the kitchen to check on Xehanort. He met the boy as he was coming out of the kitchen, carrying the basket of rolls, and the child gave him a slightly nervous smile as he walked past. Once the rolls were safely on the table, Xehanort walked up to him, arms open, looking for a hug, so Xavier enfolded the boy in his arms and held him for a moment before the rest of the family began to filter in.

Xehanort was noticeably nervous during supper, but he managed to eat despite it, and he even joined in on the conversation a few times. Xavier gave him a proud smile when he offered to help with the cleanup afterwards, but a yawn put an end to that idea quickly.

"Thank you, Xehanort." Elissa said warmly "But you're tired, so just go on to bed." Xehanort smiled at her tiredly and nodded as Xavier began to walk him out of the room and towards the stairs. He went to bed without a fuss and fell asleep quickly, while Xavier sat on the bed beside him and watched him for a moment, lost in thought.

**OOOOOO**

Life on Haven's Bridge continued on like normal for the next several days. Xehanort relaxed more and more with each passing day, and though he still suffered from nightmares and was still leery of strange men, he could handle being in the house with the rest of the family without Xavier's presence quite well.

Sadly, he also became quite insistent that Xavier go searching for the Destiny Islands again and would give him no peace about it, so eight days after Roxas' visit, Xavier left Haven's Bridge a second time. Instead of going to Radiant Garden to speak to Even or to the Land of Departure to spend the day with Terra, he went world hopping, listening for hints about how the search for himself and Xehanort was going. Though he was free from its corrupting effects, Xavier was still able to use the Darkness to blend it with the shadows, like he had the day he had rescued Xehanort, and he used this ability to its fullest to listen in on conversations.

Like Ienzo had told him, the search from himself had died down quite a bit, with some insisting that he had died somewhere, since he hadn't been heard from in so long. The search for Xehanort however was still going on strong, and many world leaders were terrified that the boy wouldn't be found. Some of the ones that Xavier eavesdropped on were those that had tortured the poor child in the prison, and Xavier had to resist the urge to curse them where they stood for what they had done.

His eavesdropping did confirm that Xehanort was taking Xavier's punishment, but strangely he heard nothing of the boy's origins. None of the ones he listened in on knew where he had come from, with some saying that he had just appeared one day in Radiant Garden after a spell had gone wrong. That made Xavier frown; as far as he knew, it was not possible to create a Replica with magic, though he supposed on one of the other, magic saturated worlds, it might be possible.

As he returned home, he wondered why the world leaders were so worried about finding Xehanort. It couldn't be just because they were worried about knowledge of what they had done to him getting out, could it? He was still pondering the question when he stepped through a portal and came out aside his family's barn. He walked towards the house, lost in thought, and so was surprised when Akim met him at the back door.

"You need to go to the hospital." he said simply "Taylor needs you there."

"Is Xehanort alright? What is wrong?"

"Xehanort is fine, but Taylor said to tell you to come to the hospital the instant you came home, so you had better go."

Xavier waited for a moment, torn with indecision. On one hand, he really wanted to check on Xehanort and make sure the child was okay, but on the other, Taylor didn't ask him to come to the hospital unless he truly needed him.

"Don't tell Xehanort that I made it back yet." he said quietly, and at Yuta's understanding nod, he portaled to the field behind the hospital.

He quickly walked up to the building and before he even opened the door, he could hear the sounds of conversation, coughing, sneezing, and crying children coming from inside. He opened the door and was greeted by a hoard people, all of them ill and miserable. Taylor was running about seeing as many people as he could, and he waved Xavier over to a group of people that obviously hadn't been seen yet. Xavier hastily shed his black coat, tossed his lab coat on over his clothes, grabbed a few things, and started working his way up the line, from the sickest to the least so.

It quickly became clear that they were dealing with a strain of influenza, which could not be treated with antibiotics. Most of the children and adults were sent home with orders to rest and drink plenty of liquids. A few, weaker, ones were sent home with antibiotics to try and prevent a secondary infection, and two, an elderly man and a small infant, had to be hospitalized. To Xavier's relief, Isa was not at the hospital, and therefore, likely wasn't sick. The flu that they were dealing with seemed to be especially virulent, and he knew that Isa wouldn't handle it well if he contracted it.

It took them nearly seven hours to get everyone taken care of, and, after checking on the two that had to be hospitalized, they gratefully sank into chairs in the office. Xavier then had a realization.

He groaned. "Damn it," he said "Ienzo had warned me about a flu strain that was wreaking havoc in Radiant Garden, but he said that he was immune to it. Roxas must have brought it by when he visited last week."

Taylor looked at him. "Which means that you and whomever else he talked to have been spreading it around since."

"I'm fine, obviously, but he also went to see Lea and Isa that day. If Lea gets it, I'm sure that he'll be fine, but if Isa gets it..." He didn't need to say anymore; the two of them were fully aware of the fragility of Isa's health. "I want to go check on them, but if they aren't carrying it, I don't want to pass it on to them." He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. "Damn it, I also likely gave it to Xehanort, and since he has the immune system of a nine week old infant, there's no way that he won't come down with it."

"Nine weeks?" Taylor asked with a confused frown.

"That is how old I believe him to be. I can't be sure of course – there is no way of knowing how old he was before he was thrown into prison – but that's the best guess that I have."

"We can hope then, that he doesn't get it, because he'll likely need to be hospitalized if his immune system is truly that weak still."

"I know. I just hope it doesn't happen."

"But it probably will."

"Yes." Xavier closed his eyes; the idea of Xehanort getting sick made him feel a little ill himself, but Taylor broke him from his thoughts before he could dwell on it too long.

"Have you been home yet?"

"Just for a second." Xavier said with a shake of his head. "Akim said that you needed me here before I could even get in the door."

Taylor chuckled quietly. "Then go home for a while. Get something to eat, get some sleep, and check on Xehanort. Just come back here in the morning. I'll need you to watch over the baby later, but I can keep an eye on them both for now."

Xavier wearily pulled himself out of the chair. "Thank you, Taylor. I appreciate it."

"You have a child at home that needs you, so go on. He's waiting."

Xavier gave him a tired smile, and then he portaled out.

He stepped out of the portal in his bedroom, and the house was dark and silent. It was well after midnight, and everyone was in bed, asleep. He kicked his boots off and hung up his lab coat and walked out of the room to check on Xehanort, and he found that not everyone was asleep.

Xehanort was sitting up in the middle of his bed with his quilt pulled over him like a tent to keep away the chill, and Xavier felt relief flood his heart when he saw him. The fire crackling in the hearth sent dancing shadows across him, but it wasn't enough to prevent Xavier from seeing the smile that spread across the child's face.

"You're home." Xehanort said quietly as Xavier sat down beside him.

Xavier reached out and pulled the child to him, quilt and all. "Yes, I'm home. Now why aren't you sleeping, young man?"

"I wanted to wait for you." Xehanort replied as he snuggled close. "Did you find my home?"

"No, little one, I didn't."

"Will you be able to look again soon?"

"I don't know. We have a lot of sick people at the hospital to care for before I can think about leaving again."

Xehanort nodded. "I understand."

The two of them fell silent then, and Xavier drank in the peace and silence, which was in sharp contrast to the noise and controlled chaos that was the hospital earlier. Xehanort fell asleep after a few minutes, so Xavier tucked the sleeping child into bed and spent a moment watching him before he left the room to get a few hours of sleep himself.

**OOOOOO**

Xavier and Taylor were very busy for the next few days as the flu strain spread itself through the world population. Thankfully, no one else needed to be hospitalized, and they were able to send the infant and elderly man home after three days in the hospital. They still spent many days in various homes, checking on those that were already ill, visiting those that were just coming down with the symptoms, and assuring everyone that it was just a flu strain and would move on in a few weeks. They could help move it along by washing their hands frequently, and disinfecting anything touched by the sick.

Six days after the outbreak began, Xavier was at the hospital after another long day of riding between the towns checking on people, preparing to head home for the first time is three days. He and Taylor had resorted to sleeping and eating at the hospital, since it allowed them to gain more sleep than going home. He was tired and achy and grumpy and irritable, and he only wanted to soak in a hot bath for an hour before lying down in his own bed for a good night's sleep. He was also anxious to check on Xehanort and see how the child was doing. Again he'd been plagued by a sense of unease and worry over the previous two days, and he wanted to just go home and see his... son?

Xavier shook his head tiredly; thinking of Xehanort as his son, which he was for all intents and purposes, was going to take some getting used to.

Sighing, he shrugged his lab coat off and replaced it with his regular coat and prepared to head home when the sound of a portal forming outside stopped him. He rubbed his eyes; he must have been more tired than he thought if he didn't sense the darkness before the portal. Aside from himself only Lea and Isa used the Corridors of Darkness to get around in a hurry, and he mentally prepared himself to deal with a frantic with worry Lea as he ducked into one of the private room to make sure that it was ready to be used. If Isa was ill, then he would have to be hospitalized to be on the safe side, and...

"Xavier."

Xavier whipped his head around in surprise to see Isa standing by the desk with an expression of worry stamped onto his face. "Isa, what are you doing here?"

"Lea is ill."

Xavier blinked; surely he had misheard. He had never heard of Lea – or Axel for that matter – getting sick with anything. "Ill?" he asked stupidly.

"Yes," Isa replied using that calm I-Think-It-Should-Be-Obvious tone that Saïx had often used when dealing with Xemnas "I think he has the flu that's going around."

Xavier shook his head again to try and clear the cobwebs. "Alright, go home and sit with him. I'll be there shortly."

Isa nodded curtly and portaled out, and Xavier sighed again and gathered the supplies that he had just finished putting away. Then, trying to ignore the fatigue that was clawing at his mind, he portaled to Lea and Isa's house.

He could smell the sickness as soon as he stepped inside, and he walked straight back to the house's only bedroom and knocked. Isa called out for him to come in, and he opened the door to a pitiful sight.

Lea's bed was in the opposite corner against the exterior wall, and he was huddled in a shivering ball of misery under his blankets. Isa was sitting next to him, and Xavier smiled sadly as he walked in and shut the door behind him. He and Lea would never have the student/mentor/father/son relationship that Xehanort and Limahl had had, but he cared about Lea more than he would ever admit, and it made his heart ache to see him in such a state.

Isa moved away from the bed so Xavier could take his place, and a few questions, which were answered by short groans, grunts, and the occasional head shake and nod confirmed Isa's guess.

"I'm sorry, Lea." Xavier said gently as he raked his fingers through Lea's bright red hair, which was damp with sweat "You're just going to have to wait it out. Drink plenty of liquids and rest. I don't want you to do anything else. Eat if you feel up to it, but you don't have to if you don't want to."

"Mmm-hmmm." Lea mumbled "Mmmm, that feels nice."

Xavier smiled. "Go to sleep, Lea. You'll feel better soon."

"M'kay." Lea mumbled again, which was followed by a jaw cracking yawn. A few moments later, his breathing deepened and slowed, and Xavier stood up and turned to face Isa.

"If he worsens suddenly, or if he starts having trouble breathing, come and get me." he said, and Isa nodded silently in understanding. "And if you start to feel sick in anyway, tell me immediately." Isa nodded again, and he returned to his spot by Lea's bed as Xavier portaled out.

He stepped out of the portal in the hospital to see yet another patient waiting on him, someone that he hadn't expected but should have.

He groaned. "Damn it, Taylor, not you too."

The elderly physician gave him a weak smile. "Just when I think that I've caught every illness known, I end up with something new." He huddled down in the chair he was sitting in and shivered. "Where did you vanish off to?"

"Lea is sick."

"Lea? Not Isa?"

"Those were my thoughts exactly. Now let's get you to bed, you sicko, and when you're better, remind me to smack you upside the head for leaving me to look after everyone myself."

Taylor gave a raspy chuckle. "I'll just go home, Xavier. You don't need me cluttering up the place while you try to work."

"Oh no, you're staying here. You're old enough that this could be dangerous to you, so you're staying here just in case. Now, bed, right now."

"Yes, Doctor Xavier."

"Damn right, now quit stalling and get into bed."

Taylor laid down in one of the beds in the open ward and went to sleep almost immediately, and Xavier leaned against the nearest wall and sighed as he raked his hair back from his face. Great, he had a flu epidemic, his apprentice was sick, and now the only other doctor was sick as well. So much for going home.

He laid out one of the folding cots in the office, kicked his boots off, and collapsed onto the narrow mattress. His eyes sank shut, and he was asleep almost instantly.

**OOOOOO**

It was difficult being the world's only doctor during an epidemic, Xavier realized as the days rolled by. It was also: dirty, exhausting, mind numbing, repetitive, and a host of other negative things that he was too tired to think of, and he didn't understand how Taylor had done it alone before.

To save time, he wore his Black Coat at all times, so he could safely portal between towns and homes. As the epidemic spread, more and more people called on him, and the open ward at the hospital filled up quickly with people too young, too old, or too frail to be left at home. A few members of his own family were sick, including his mother, and two of his brothers, Alexander and Jachin. Xehanort, thankfully, was not ill. With so many people ill, the planting season was stalled, which made those well enough to feel it, very nervous. With a harsh winter and mild summer, they couldn't afford to delay planting for too long. A few that weren't sick had begun to work the fields, and were hoping to get as many as they could planted, but with so many fields to plant, there was no way that they would be able to get them all in time.

Masa brought him simple meals from home when he could, and as much as he wanted to see Xehanort, Xavier insisted that the child stay home. Being in a hospital full of sick people was sure fire way for him to catch the flu himself, and Xavier wanted to avoid that if at all possible. Masa informed him that the boy was helping out where he could, and had even taken over Xavier's regular chores, so the others could focus on getting the fields ready. Xavier smiled at the news, and warned his eldest brother to not let the child overtax himself. He was much stronger, but he was in no way fully recovered from his ordeal yet.

Four days after Taylor fell ill, Xavier was trying to snatch a few hours' rest in the office when he was shaken awake.

"Xavier," He dimly recognized Isa's voice as he reluctantly rose from the depths of sleep, and he groaned as his head began to throb from sleep deprivation. "Xavier, Lea needs you right now."

He slowly sat up on the cot, and it took his tired, burning, stinging eyes a bit to focus, which allowed him to see Isa standing in front of him, holding Lea up. Lea was leaning heavily against Isa's side, shivering hard, and his eyes were glassy and unfocused. His face was pale aside from two bright spots of color on his cheeks from his fever, and his hair was plastered to his head and neck with sweat.

Xavier stood up and ignored Isa's concerned look when he wobbled a bit on his feet. "Oh Lea," he murmured tiredly as he took the red head out of Isa's arms and into his own "I had so hoped that you'd get over this quickly." Lea moaned as he slumped against Xavier, which allowed the latter to feel the heat of his fever. "Let's get you back into a bed." Even though it was only about two dozen steps away, Xavier portaled the two of them into one of the private rooms, and Lea coughed deeply as he was laid down. Xavier grimaced; he didn't need a pneumonia patient on top of the flu going around, but it certainly seemed as though the virus had trickled down into Lea's lungs. Isa stepped into the room then, and the two of them peeled Lea's sweat drenched pajamas off of him, gave him a quick wipe down in lieu of a full on bath, and dressed him in clean, dry hospital pajamas, before tucking him under the blanket and sheet.

"Has he been throwing up or complaining of nausea?" Xavier asked, tiredness banished for the moment as he worried about his sick apprentice.  
"No," Isa said quietly.

"Has the cough been productive?"

"Sometimes."

"How has his fluid intake been?"

"It was fine until earlier today, when he started refusing to drink anything. He said it gave him the chills, even if it was hot. He went to sleep for a while, and when I checked on him next, he was like this."

Xavier frowned as he put the earpieces for the stethoscope in his ears and placed the other end against Lea's clammy chest, which was rising and falling at a much faster rate that Xavier was comfortable with. It allowed him to easily hear the fluid popping and crackling in Lea's lungs with every breath, and he just barely held back the urge to use some of the swear words that his original self had learned from the sailors back on the Destiny Islands. Losing his temper wouldn't help Lea any.

"He has pneumonia." he stated flatly as he took the stethoscope out of his ears and set it aside. He then elevated the head of the bed so Lea could breath easier and pulled the blanket up to his neck and tucked it around his shoulders. "He's going to be here for a while." He stood up and portaled into the supply room to gather what he needed to set up an IV and then portaled back into Lea's room. It took him a bit longer than normal, but he quickly set up the stand and pump and inserted the catheter into the back of Lea's left hand. He then hooked it up to a bag of saline to keep him hydrated, and a smaller bag of antibiotics. While chances were almost certain that the flu virus was responsible for the pneumonia, there was the small possibility that a secondary bacterial infection was at work, so a course of antibiotics was a needed just in case. Even if there was no bacterial infection, the antibiotics would prevent one from settling in, and with Lea already so ill, another infection could easily be fatal.

"Go home, Isa." he said wearily once that was done "There's no sense risking yourself anymore than you already have."

"Lea stayed with me when I needed him." Isa said firmly in response "I'm not leaving him when he needs me."

Xavier growled and opened his mouth to snap, but instead he sighed tiredly. "Fine, fine, I'm too tired to argue with you, but I hope for your sake that you don't regret it." He turned and prepared to portal out of the room. "I'll get the other cot for you."

He portaled into the storage room, fetched the other cot, and then wheeled it into Lea's room, and set it up at the foot of the bed. "I'll be in the office if you need me, after I check on everyone." Isa nodded silently, and Xavier walked out of the room. He really wanted to portal – walking seemed to take too much energy – but he didn't want to frighten anyone that might be awake. It turned out to be an unnecessary precaution; the ward was silent, and everyone was asleep. He walked slowly up the isle between the rows of beds, doing a visual checkup on everyone. Everyone seemed to be as well as could be expected, even Taylor. The flu had hit the elderly physician especially hard, though thankfully, he was doing much better and hadn't become as ill as Xavier had feared he would. It would take him time to recover, but he was certain that he would be fine in time.

Assured that everyone was well and sleeping, he portaled into Lea's room to check on him one last time and found his apprentice sleeping, though he coughed frequently in his sleep. Isa was lying on the cot with his eyes closed, though it was clear that he wasn't asleep yet. Shaking his head to try and clear the fugue that clogged his mind, Xavier dimmed the lights and portaled to the office, where he practically collapsed onto his own cot and was asleep instantly.

A scant four hours of sleep was hardly enough, but it was all he could managed before he had to drag himself off of the cot come morning. He checked on Lea first to find that he was in the same condition as last night. Isa was dozing in the nearby chair, and Xavier didn't wake him as he left to go check on the open ward patients.

He was able to discharge a few of them, and though he still felt uneasy with letting Taylor go, the man was much improved and so was given the okay to leave as well.

"I'll be back later," he promised as he looked at Xavier with a look of concern. "You look like you desperately need a full night's sleep, followed by a bath and a meal."

"Just go home." Xavier told him tiredly "Before you relapse."

"I will be back though." he said firmly before he walked out the door, and Xavier sighed and ran his hand down his face. He then walked back into the office and try and catch a nap before he had to do rounds next, but the sound of the front door opening interrupted him before he could. He walked back out into the entryway and opened the door. He winced at the bright light hit his eyes for the first time in days, and it took them a moment to adjust so he could see who was standing there. It was Masa, standing on the porch, but he wasn't bearing food from home. Instead he was carrying a shivering blanket wrapped bundle, and the shock of white hair poking out of the top made it very clear who was inside them.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I apologize for the insanely long wait. I was making a baby quilt, and the baby it was for was born, so I had to knuckle down and get that finished. On top of that, one of Windows' start up files corrupted, which forced me to do a destructive reboot to get my computer going again. Even though I had backed everything up once I figured out that a reboot was imminent, some things were somehow not saved, including Chapter 9 of The Price, a large section of my next Marluxia fic, and unfortunately, this chapter was also lost. Hopefully I'll be able to get everything rewritten soon. Just a warning though – I have three more quilts to make, so I expect more delays as I try to get those done as quickly as possible.**

**7. **

Xavier carried Xehanort, still wrapped up in his quilt, to the office, and laid him down on the cot. The two private rooms were taken, and he was certain that, despite the boy's decreasing fear, that he would not handle being in the open ward well at all. He peeled the quilt back to see Xehanort's face, hot and sweaty and tired, looking up at him with brown eyes that were glassy with fever and ringed with shadows.

"He took a nap and woke up like this." Masa explained quietly "And he wouldn't stop asking for you until I agreed to bring him here."

"Thank you, Masa." Xavier said quietly "I'll take him from here."

He felt a hand touch him lightly on the shoulder. "I'll be back later with something for you to eat."

Xavier nodded absently as his brother walked out, and Xehanort pushed the folds of the quilt aside and reached out. Xavier hoisted him up into his arms and sat down on the cot with the child on his lap. Xehanort nestled close and tucked his head under his chin, shivering, and Xavier rocked him slightly. "Go to sleep, little one, I'm here."

Xehanort said nothing; he only sighed quietly and relaxed as he went to sleep in Xavier's arms. Xavier held him for a bit longer before loud coughing from Lea's room forced him to reluctantly lie the child down, tuck him under his quilt, and go check on his apprentice.

Lea was sitting up in bed, supported by Isa, and he was coughing like he was trying to expel a lung. A moment later, a gob of thick white sputum came up, and Xavier silently kicked himself for not giving Lea a mucus thinner earlier. After cleaning up the mess and easing Lea back against his pillows, he took care of that, kicking himself the entire time for making such a mistake. He also spotted Isa's concerned frown out of the corner of his eye.

"Maybe you should go home and rest for a while, Xavier?" Isa said quietly, to which Xavier only shook his head.

"Taylor is down for now, so I'm the only doctor we have for the time being." he replied "And I am needed here."

"That is one thing that you and Xemnas have in common then, stubborn to the core."

Xavier glared at him. "I'm not being stubborn." he nearly snarled "I have work to do." He then stalked out of the room to check on the open ward patients. Once that was done, he walked back into the office to see someone that he hadn't expected.

"What are you doing here, Taylor?"

"I said that I would be back. You need a chance to rest for a while."

Xavier wiped at his eyes again and noticed that his boots were just blobs of dark against the wooden floor. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine, Xavier. You're about to collapse. Just go lie down; I can look after everyone for a while."

"Go back home, Taylor, before you relapse."

"I'm not going anywhere until you've had a full night's rest. You're exhausted, and you're either going to collapse or make a catastrophic mistake if you don't sleep."

"Listen to him, Xavier." came Isa's voice, and Xavier looked up – which caused the room to spin for a second – to see him standing in the door. Xavier growled in irritation again and abruptly stood up. That proved to be a serious mistake as the room tilted and rocked. He heard quick footsteps, and he fell into Isa's arms. "You can't even stand up. How are you going to look after everyone in this state? Go to bed, Xavier, everyone can be without you for a few hours."

"You need to take care of yourself before you can take care of others." Taylor said gently "I told you that early on in your apprenticeship. Have you forgotten already?"

"Fine, fine." Xavier growled "I'll sleep, but when I wake up -" He looked over at Taylor. "- you WILL go back home before you end up in the ward again."

Taylor gave him a small smile. "Whatever you say, now let's get you into bed so you can sleep."

Isa walked him over to the cot while Taylor carefully scooted Xehanort over and pulled the quilt back. Xavier grudgingly admitted to himself as they helped him lie down that maybe he really was too tired. If they hadn't helped him, he likely would have just fallen onto the cot and on top of Xehanort, which he definitely did not want. He kicked his boots off, pulled off his lab coat and laid down beside Xehanort, who snuggled close to him. He closed his eyes as someone draped the quilt over them, and then the lights dimmed. He heard Taylor and Isa speaking softly to each other as he went to sleep.

**OOOOOO**

Sobs.

Tears.

Was someone crying?

Who was crying?

Xehanort?

"I'm sorry!"

Xavier tried to open his eyes to check on Xehanort, but they refused to open, like someone had glued the lids shut. He tried to reach up and pry them open, but his arms felt like lead, and he couldn't lift them? What was wrong with him?

_Can you hear me, Xavier?_

He tried to answer, but he couldn't make his voice work, so all that came out was a quiet groan.

_I was afraid that this would happen if he didn't rest. _

_Is he going to be alright?_

_I honestly don't know at this stage._

Who were they talking about? The crying person? Where was he anyway, and who was speaking? He thought that he knew the voices, but he couldn't place them? Who was Xavier? Was that him? What was wrong with him? Why was he so hot and heavy and tired? Why couldn't he open his eyes?

"You've been badly hurt, Xehanort."

Master Ansem? Wait, wasn't Master Ansem angry with him? Angry with him for what? Had he done something wrong?

_Please wake up! _A child's voice, pleading, with who he didn't know. He didn't know any children aside from that one boy. What was his name? Ienzo or something like that.

"Kingdom Hearts,"came a reedy sounding voice, and he shivered in fear, though he didn't understand why he was afraid. And what was Kingdom Hearts?

"You have potential."said a man with long graying red hair. Who was he?

Who am I?

_Xavier?_

Who is Xavier?

"Xehanort! Eraqus!"

"Maybe we can unlock your memories somehow."

"Xemnas, is Kingdom Hearts ready?"

"This world is a prison."

"Let it empower you!"

_I don't understand! _he tried to wail, but body wasn't his to command. Where was he? Where was Master Ansem? Where was Even? Had they thrown him back out into the streets to die? He tried to call out to them, to anyone, but all that he could produce is a strangled croak.

_My name..._

_Xavier?_

… _my name..._

"What is his prognosis?'

"I am certain that he will live, your Lordship, but after that it is too soon to say."

… _my name is..._

A man with light blond hair and kind orange eyes was smiling gently at him. "You'll be alright."

… _Xehanort._

_He felt something cold touch his face, and he shivered. "Rest, Xavier."_

Who is Xavier? Where am I? Where is Master Ansem? Where is Even?

"M'ster An...sem." he managed to mumble, and the cold touch returned, which made him shiver again.

_Ansem is not here, Xavier._

_He's delirious._

_Maybe we should fetch Even._

Yes, he thought, Even would be nice. Even sat with him when Master Ansem couldn't. Even read books to him and soothed him when he hurt. He croaked Even's name.

_I don't think he knows where he's at._

_Xavier, please wake up!_

Who was Xavier again? Who were the voices speaking to him? What was wrong with him? He felt a hard pinch in one of his hands, and he whined. Not another needle! He'd had enough shots for an entire lifetime already!

"I know that you're tired of them, Xehanort, but this will help you feel better."

_I can't get him to drink anything._

_An IV it is then. _

_His fever is so high. _

_We'll probably have to dunk him soon. _

He felt another pinch followed by the sting of a large needle, and he tried to cry out in protest -

_Leave me alone!_

- but he could only produce a low moan. Why was he so weak? Why couldn't he talk?

_Elissa and Jascha are here. _

_I don't think he'll recognize them. He seems to have forgotten the past several years. _

_He thinks he's in Radiant Garden. _

_Xavier? Oh, my poor boy._

"Xehanort? It's time to wake up. You've been sleeping for days."

I'm so tired, Master Ansem.

_Don't leave me, Xavier; please wake up._

Where had the child come from? Who was he? He certainly didn't sound like Ienzo. And who in the _hell_ was Xavier!

_Someone take Xehanort home. He doesn't need to see this._

Did they find my family? Is someone going to take me home? Will I remember them?

_No, I won't leave!_

_Xehanort, Xavier is very sick, and he doesn't recognize anyone right now. The best thing you can do is go home and wait for him to get better. _

Are they talking to me? I don't know any Xavier, do I?

_I don't want to go!_

_He might as well stay. He's sick too, and he might as well stay here close to Xavier, for his own sake if __anything. _

Xehanort felt a warm weight settle down against his side, and he groaned as it made him feel hotter and more uncomfortable. He tried to push it away, but his arms would not obey him. Had someone sat down next to him? Was it Even? Or Master Ansem?

_What's wrong with Xavier? came a voice he had longed to hear, and he smiled slightly. _

_He's got the influenza that's running around, and since he exhausted himself, he's very ill. He's also delirious from the fever, and he's been asking for you and Ansem for hours._

Rustling clothing, and then the feel of person beside him, followed by Even's cool hand on his forehead.

"I'm right here, Xehanort." Even said quietly "Rest now. I'll stay with you while you sleep."

_I'm here, Xavier. Go to sleep; I won't leave you._

Xehanort smiled again, and he sighed as he dropped into the blackness of sleep.

**OOOOOO**

Xavier shifted as awareness slowly drifted back to him. His body felt heavy and hot, his head throbbed, and he felt dizzy and lightheaded. He cracked his eyes open, which took far more energy than it should have, but he couldn't really see his surroundings. His vision was blurry, and the lighting was dimmed, but he was able to take a quick look around the room, and he spotted Even sitting in the chair by the bed, reading a book.

"Even?" he slurred, and Even looked up at him and smiled.

"Welcome back," he said quietly as he stood up "You have us worried for a while."

"What... what happened to me?"

Even sat down on the bed beside him and gently smoothed his hair back from his face. "You ran yourself into the ground trying to look after everyone. Isa and Taylor convinced you to sleep for a while, and you woke up very ill. That was three days ago. You were delirious for most of it."

"Oh," Xavier mumbled; he was so tired, but since Even was there, that reminded him of something. "Xehanort's a Replica, you know." He saw Even start at the sudden change in topic. "Been meaning to ask you, how long do Replica's live?"

"I think you need to go back to sleep, Xavier. You're obviously not thinking straight."

"M'fine. I just wanna know. Will Xehanort stop working like a wind up toy later? They created him to take the punishment for me, and I had to save him. Couldn't leave him there to be tortured."

Even placed a hand against his sweaty forehead. "You don't know what you're saying, Xavier. Now _sleep_."

"Eveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen." Xavier moaned in protest as the magic in Even's voice sent him back into sleep's embrace.

**OOOOOO**

When Xavier next woke, he quickly realized that he was ill. He was hot, sweaty, achy, and tired, and he figured out that he was lying in bed in one of the private rooms. The door was open, and he could hear murmuring voices from the rest of the building, including Isa's and Taylor's.

Isa...

Taylor...

Lea!

Xehanort!

He sat up, but the room spun and rocked like the deck on a sinking ship, and he fell backwards to the pillows. He groaned as the impact made his head throb even worse, and someone evidently heard him, because Taylor walked in a few seconds later.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Xavier." he said cheerfully, though Xavier was quick to notice that the cheer didn't quite reach his eyes.

"What in Kingdom Hearts happened to me." he groaned as he rubbed his stinging eyes.

Taylor busied himself checking Xavier's pulse, breathing, and other vital signs as he answered. "I'm not surprised that you can't remember anything. Five days ago, Isa and I convinced you to lie down and sleep, and when you woke up, you were burning up and delirious with a fever. You had forgotten the past several years it seemed, and you kept asking for Ansem and Even and fought any attempt to help you. Isa finally went back to Radiant Garden and brought Even here, and once he was here, you calmed and allowed him to take care of you."

"Is he still here? What about Lea and Xehanort?"

"Lea is still ill, but he is stable for the moment. The pneumonia hasn't worsened any, and he seems to be responding to treatment. Xehanort is doing better. He never became as ill as you feared he would, and right now, he's sleeping on a cot at the foot of your bed." Taylor smiled gently. "He refused to leave you, even when you pushed him away in your confusion. That boy really loves you, so I hope you understand the treasure that you have there. As for Even, he and Vexen returned to Radiant Garden last night, once it became clear that you were starting to improve. Even didn't want to leave you so soon, but his cover story about wanting to take Vexen on a little vacation wouldn't stretch that far."

Xavier smiled slightly. "I need to see them."

Taylor gave him a sharp look. "You're in no shape to be getting out of bed, Xavier."

"I need to see. I need to see for myself that they're alright." Taylor still looked skeptical. "Please, Taylor, I need to see them."

Taylor looked at him for a long moment. "Fine," he conceded "but you're not going in there under your own power. I doubt that you could stand right now, much less walk. I'll be right back." He walked out of the room for a brief moment, and came back with Isa. The two of them carefully helped him stand up, and Isa half carried, half walked him into Lea's room.

His apprentice was sleeping quietly, curled up on his side, with only his head poking out from under the heavy blanket. Isa walked him up to the bed so Xavier could reach out and touch him gently on the cheek. His body was warm but not blazing hot like he had been before. Lea stirred at the touch and then settled back down with a quiet sigh.

"Let's get you back to your own room." Isa said quietly, and he walked him out of Lea's room. Taylor was just finishing up with changing the bed, and Isa paused so Xavier could watch Xehanort, sprawled out on the narrow cot, snoring slightly. Isa then walked him up to his own bed, and he and Taylor helped him peel out of his sweaty gown, bathe, and then get dressed in dry pajamas. He laid down on the clean sheets, shivering, and allowed Taylor to help him lie down. He then held out his arms, and Isa smiled knowingly and gently scooped Xehanort up and deposited him on the bed beside Xavier. The blankets were then pulled over them, and Xavier held Xehanort close as he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

**OOOOOO**

It was the feel of movement, and a chill against his side that woke him an unmeasurable time later. He peeped his eyes open to see Xehanort climbing out of bed and walking away. He closed his eyes again; perhaps he just needed the bathroom, but no, he then heard him lie down on the cot at the foot of the bed.

"Xehanort?" he mumbled sleepily, but there was no answer, and the child did not come back.

**OOOOOO**

Xavier spent the next few days doing little more than sleeping. He didn't see Xehanort during those days, and questions about the child only resulted in being told that he was feeling well enough to go home. Part of him found that odd since Xehanort had clung to him at every chance before, but he was too tired to think on it much, so he let it go and focused on getting better. Several days worth of sleep deprivation on top of the influenza had knocked him down hard, and he was fully aware that it would take him a while to get back to normal.

Lea was also still very sick, and it was doubtful that he would be leaving the hospital anytime soon. Though he was slowly getting better, the pneumonia was slow to relax its grip on his lungs, and it would probably be weeks before he would be fit for keyblade training again. When he was able to get a moment without Taylor hovering nearby, Xavier would wobble into Lea's room and sit beside him for a while, like Master Limahl had done for Xehanort on more than one occasion. Taylor inevitably noticed and shooed him back to his own bed, but it didn't feel right to leave his apprentice alone when he was so ill. A few times, he was able to slowly and carefully reach across the bed and enfold Lea into his arms and hold him for a short while.. Lea spent 22 hours a day sleeping, and was barely awake enough to speak the rest of the time, but Xavier liked to believe that Lea knew that he was there and took comfort from his presence.

Of course, Taylor tried to get Xavier to stay in bed, but Xavier refused to leave his apprentice alone while he was ill. After catching Xavier out of bed yet again, the elderly physician sighed in defeat.

"If you're well enough to keep getting out of bed," he said in exasperation "then you're well enough to go home."

"But, what about Lea?" Xavier protested "I don't want to leave him."

"He'll be fine. He has me and Isa to look after him. You on the other hand are going to relapse if you do not rest, so I'm going to ask your father to come and get you. You are then going to stay home and sleep. Am I in any way not clear on this?"

"Says the man who came back to work despite being ordered to stay home." Xavier grumbled under his breath.

"Drop the attitude, Xavier." Taylor warned "I was not as sick as you were, and I hadn't run myself into the ground. You will do as you are told, or I will forbid you from practicing medicine on this world."

"You wouldn't!"

"I would. You're lucky that you didn't harm anyone while you were exhausted -" Xavier winced and hung his head. "- and it was a mistake on my part to leave you alone for so long. Once you've recovered, we're going to try and find another apprentice, but for now you're going to go home and take it easy for another week or two. Only then, if I deem you fit to do so, will you return to work." Xavier heard him walk closer and felt a hand come down to rest lightly on his shoulder. "You did the best you could for as long as you could." Taylor said, his voice noticeably softer than it had been before. "Now it's time for you to step back and relax for a while. The epidemic is finally easing, so things are getting easier for me. The best thing you can do is go home, spent some time with Xehanort, and get better. If Lea worsens or he asks for you, I'll call for you."

Xavier sighed and nodded without saying a word. He lightly kissed Lea on the top of his head and left the room to get dressed. As much as he hated to admit it, a hot bath, and home cooked meal, and a long nap in his own bed sounded wonderful to him. Ten minutes later, Jascha arrived in the wagon, and Xavier leaned tiredly against his father and dozed during the ride home.

He did not see Xehanort when he walked into the house, and when he asked about him, he was told that he was outside with the horses. He took a few steps in the direction of the backdoor, but his mother gently grasped him by the elbow and ushered him towards the stairs instead.

"Rest first," she said gently "Xehanort will still be here later."

"But -"

"You've taken care of everyone else. Now it's time to take care of yourself." She nudged him up the stairs. "Now, on to bed with you. I'll bring you up some supper later."

Xavier sighed and conceded defeat and trundled quietly up the stairs. A quick bath made him feel miles better, but the sight of his own bed made him sag with sudden tiredness, and he climbed into it and went to sleep without another word.

**OOOOOO**

It was the presence of someone standing beside them that roused him later, and he blinked his open in the dark room to see Xehanort standing by the bed, looking at him.

"Xehanort?" he mumbled sleepily, and the child gave him a hard look and walked out of the room without a sound. Xavier pushed his blanket back, intending to sit up, but before he could complete the action, his body reminded him that he was still in need of sleep, and he nodded off.

**OOOOOO**

Xavier saw very little of Xehanort over the next few days. He caught glimpses of him whenever he dragged himself downstairs at mealtimes, and occasionally he would wake up to find the child staring at him silently. Questions resulted in the boy simply walking out of the room or ignoring him altogether. He was baffled, but no one seemed to know what was going on with him. Xehanort continued to do Xavier's regular chores, and helped his grandmother out in the kitchen, but he barely spoke to anyone, and often times he could be found staring into space with a thoughtful look on his face.

Four days after coming home, Xavier wandered into the parlor, looking for a place to sit down and rest his still shaky legs. The house was empty of everyone but himself and Xehanort – everyone else was outside finishing up the last of the planting. He hadn't seen or heard from Xehanort all day, so he was quite surprised to walk into the room to find Xehanort already there, seated on the couch and staring hard into the empty fireplace.

"So this is where you've been hiding." he commented lightly as he sat down in the armchair to the right of the couch. Xehanort looked up at him, and for a brief moment anger flickered in his eyes before he turned back to the fireplace. Xavier felt a flash of anger from somewhere, but he shoved it down. Getting angry at the boy for no reason wouldn't help anything.

"It's finally warmed up outside," he said casually "I imagine you feel much more comfortable with the warmer weather, am I right?"

Xehanort ignored him, and Xavier felt another flash of anger. "What is wrong, Xehanort? Why won't you talk to anyone?" Xehanort shrugged his shoulders without saying anything, so Xavier stood up from his chair and moved over to the couch to sit next to the child. "Xehanort?"

Xehanort huffed, stood up, and went to leave the room, but Xavier reached out and caught him by the wrist. "Please talk to me, Xehanort. What's wrong?"

Xehanort slowly turned to look at him, and Xavier flinched at the look he saw there, the same look of anger and accusation that he had seen in Even's eyes when they had met again in Radiant Garden four years ago.

"Why did you lie to me?" the child said quietly.

Xavier tried not to let his sudden fear show on his face. "Lie?" he said warily "Why would you think that?"

"You're never planning to take me home, am I right?" Xehanort shook of his hand and turned to face him. "You are never going to let me leave here. Have you been even trying to find the Destiny Islands?" The look turned into an angry glare as his voice steadily rose. "Why did you rescue me if you were just planning to lock me up again! Are you a part of this! Was this the plan from the beginning! Now that you've gotten my hopes up and I've caught on to your little game, are you just going to take me back to where you found me!" Xehanort paused for breath, chest heaving, and he hastily swiped a few tears that had crested in his eyes.

"Enough, Xehanort." Xavier said and he stood up, and he felt his heart sink as the child flinched away from him. "There is no 'little game', and I am most certainly not take you back to that horrid place." He reached out and gently placed his hands on the boy's shoulders and tried to ignore it when he flinched again at the touch. "Do you want to tell me what's been eating you lately?"

Xehanort looked down at the floor and was silent for a long moment. And then finally: "I heard what you said to Even while you were sick."

Xavier frowned; he could vaguely remember speaking to Even, but he had no recollection of what was said. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage, because I can't remember a word of that conversation." He swallowed; he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer to what he was about to ask. "What did I say?"

Xehanort kept his eyes on the floor. "You said I was just a Replica, and that you wanted to know if I would stop working like a windup toy."

Xavier felt the blood drain from his face, and his voice shook as he asked his next question. "What else did I say?"

"That I was taking the punishment meant for you." Xehanort raised his head and pinned him with a piercing gaze. "Before, you also said that your name was Xehanort. I know my family history well, and I know that aside from my parents, I have no relations left, so who are you? Why do you look like me? I asked Alexander what a Replica was, and he told me all about them, about how they're copies of other people, about how there's already been one Replica made of you. I think you owe me some answers."

Xavier sighed and tiredly ran his hand down his face. He then sat back down the couch and patted the space next to him. "Come and sit down. I never intended to hide this from you forever, but it never seemed like a good time to tell you, so sit down, and I'll explain everything." _I just hope that you don't hate me at the end of it all. _

Xehanort gave him a wary, suspicious look, and then the boy sat down, in the chair at the opposite end of the couch. Xavier sighed again and spent a moment gathering his thoughts, and then he slowly began to speak.

**OOOOOO**

**A/N: Sorry to make you wait for so long for such an evil, evil cliffy, but the chapter was always intended to end here. **


	8. Chapter 8

**8.**

Xavier spent a moment gathering his thoughts, while anxiousness forced him to his feet. He walked over to one of the tall mullioned windows and looked out absently over the front yard.

"Eighty-two years ago," he began in a quiet voice "I was born on the Destiny Islands." Behind him, he heard Xehanort suck in a breath, but he ignored him and continued. "Before I was even an hour old, my mother named me Xehanort, after the sea god that we were believed to be descendants of." He paused and glanced over his shoulder to see Xehanort staring at him intently with wide eyes, but the child remained silent, so Xavier turned back to the window. "When I was fourteen, I left the Destiny Islands to train as a keyblade apprentice. When I was twenty-four, I passed my Mark of Mastery exam and was awarded with the title of Keyblade Master. I then spent many years wandering the worlds, seeing all that there was to see and learning so much.

"In time, like everyone else, I grew old, but I wanted to extend my life. I found a way to do so, but it cost me my memories and left me badly hurt. I was rescued by the ruler of a world called Radiant Garden, and he adopted me as his son, since I remembered nothing but my name. I wanted to learn who I had once been, and so when Master Ansem agreed to perform a series of experiments to try and unlock my heart, I eagerly agreed, not knowing what we were about to unleash.

"I had traveled a very dark path before the life extension, and the experiments let that darkness out. I changed, became a different person. I led my fellow apprentices down the same dark path, and it ended with Radiant Garden destroyed and creatures of darkness known as the Heartless running free across the worlds. They destroyed many worlds before they were pushed back just a handful of years ago. Many people rightly blamed me for the destruction that had taken place, but before I could be caught and punished for what I had done, I became very, very ill. The person that had helped me in my various schemes abandoned me here, and Masa found me and carried me to the hospital, where I languished in a coma, fighting a deadly infection, for eight days. When I woke up, once again, my memories were gone.

"I was adopted again, this time by Masa's parents, and I lived here for two years until my memories started to return. The darkness that I had used for so long had essentially split my personality in two. One half was me, the person that you know. The second one was my darker half, the one that actually extended our life, destroyed Radiant Garden, and loosed the Heartless on the universe. When my memories began to return, he began to return as well.

"I knew what he would do if he were to fully awaken, so I used my keyblade to split my heart in two, with me in one half, and him in the other. I then destroyed him. The damage to my heart caused me to fall into a coma again, only waking here safely once my heart had healed. Some of those that I knew in Radiant Garden have long forgiven me – Even is one of them actually – but there are many that haven't. I assume that since they weren't able to get to me to punish me, they decided to create someone to take their anger out on." He turned away from the window to look at Xehanort, who was shaking by this time and looking at him with the face of someone that's about to be sick. "Which is how you came to be. It is entirely possible to make a copy of a person. The copy, or Replica as they are called, is an exact copy of a person, down to the DNA. The personality may be different, but otherwise they are the same unless something goes wrong."

Here, he walked up to Xehanort, knelt down in front of him, and took the boy's hands in his own. "You, Xehanort, are a Replica of me," he said quietly "given life to take the punishment that they couldn't inflict on me."

Xehanort shook his head. "No," he said "I'm not a Replica of you. I'm not just a copy of you. I wasn't created to take anything! I remember my parents! I remember my home! I'm not a Replica!"

"Yes, you are, child." Xavier said gently, yet firmly as he looked into the boy's brown eyes, which were pooling up with tears "Memories can be faked and implanted. Your memories are copies of mine; that is why you can remember things."

"No!" Xehanort tried to yank his hands away, but Xavier wouldn't let go. "No! It's not true! My memories are real! I am real! My mother's name is Riki, and -!"

"Your father's name is Josel." Xavier continued, still speaking calmly "You were born during a small hurricane, and local legend has it that the second you took your first breath, the eye crossed over the island, which some took to mean that Lord Xehanort was pleased over your birth. You loved water and often cried after your bath was done because you didn't like getting out. Your parents owned the general store, and you started helping your father there at the age of eight. Your twelfth birthday present was a small wooden sailboat that you named Wind Shear, and you liked to take her on day trips between the islands when you didn't have work or school. Everyone thinks that since you like being in the water so much your favorite color is blue, but it's actually gray. When you were seven, a group of older boys dared you to try and control the ocean, and when you couldn't do it they shoved you into the water. You cut your face on a rock in the fall and told your mother that you'd cut it on a seashell while swimming."

Xehanort shook his head wildly, flinging tears from his cheeks. "NO! How can you know that! This isn't possible! Someone told you this stuff about me! It has to be that!" He tilted his head back and quit trying to pull his hands away as he began to cry. "There's no way you could know all of this!"

Xavier moved from the floor to the couch besides the distraught teenager, while still holding firmly to his hands. "I know because I lived it. The Wayfinder? Mom always told me that she had found it -"

"In my basket, the morning after I was born." Xehanort finished between sobs.

Xavier nodded. "Yes," he said quietly "I left it behind when I left the Destiny Islands and haven't seen it in 68 years.

"This isn't real!" Xehanort wailed "This can't be happening! This isn't real!"

"It is real, little one. They gave you your life so they could take their anger at me out on you. Dilan told Even about you, who came and told me. I couldn't leave you there to suffer when it wasn't you that had committed the wrongs, so I went to get you and brought you here. I am the closest thing you have to a parent -"

"NO!" Xehanort screamed, and Xavier wondered if anyone could hear him outside. "You're not my mother or father! My memories are real, and I want to go home! Take me home, right now!"

"You are home."

"This isn't my home! Let me go!" Xehanort pulled his hands out of Xavier's grip, and he bolted to his feet and ran out of the room. Xavier stood up to follow him, and he made it to the doorway just as he heard the backdoor slam. He walked through the house to the backdoor, and he stepped out on the back porch just in time to see Xehanort running into the barn. Heras, who was in the pasture, sent him a questioning glance, but Xavier waved him off. He had to handle this alone.

Inside the barn, he found Xehanort huddled in a back corner of the hayloft, curled up into a ball and crying.

"Stay away!" the boy wailed as Xavier ascended the ladder "Leave me alone!" He scooted back until he was pressed against the sloping roof timbers that made up the back wall of the loft. "Please go away!"

Xavier climbed up onto the loft floor and sat down near the ladder, and Xehanort looked away from him. "I know it hurts, little one," he said quietly over Xehanort's crying "and I didn't want to cause you any more pain, which is why I delayed telling you for so long. Telling someone that everything they thought they knew is a lie is never an easy thing to do."

"It's not a lie!" Xehanort screamed, though the scream tapered off into a sob. "It's not a lie. I'm not a Replica. My memories aren't copies."

Xavier felt a few tears slide down his own face as he scooted closer, and his heart ached to see Xehanort in pain as his world crashed down around him.

"I was the dream of every girl is school." he continued, not wanting to hurt the child further, but needing to get his point across "but I ignored them all. The only girls that I allowed into my life were Mom and Wind Shear. I found their sighing and eye fluttering quite annoying, though none of them ever seemed to figure that out."

Xehanort wailed, and Xavier scooted closer. "Whenever I got into trouble, I would talk to my Wayfinder. I would tell it what I had done and how unfair my parents were being, and there were times that I was certain that Lord Xehanort was listening, even though I never heard or saw him." Xehanort shook his head in denial, and Xavier scooted close enough that he could reach out and gather the boy into his arms.

The child screamed again and slammed his fists into Xavier's chest as he struggled to get away. Xavier ignored the blows and simply cradled him until he finally quit fighting and laid there in his arms, crying. He then sat the boy up, but Xehanort didn't grab onto him, snuggle closer, or do anything that suggested that he was accepting the comfort that was being offered. Instead, he only cried.

"I know that it feels like it," Xavier said softly as he rocked the crying child in his arms "but it's not the end of the world. You still have a family; you have me, and I love you so very much." Xehanort shook his head as a sob shook him. "This is your home, and I am your father. I swear that I will care for you, protect you, and love you as a parent should. You will always have a home and family with me."

Xehanort said nothing in response; he only cried as Xavier carefully stood up, walked up to the edge of the loft, and lightly hopped down. The ten foot drop was nothing for him, and he carried Xehanort out of the barn and back into the house. They received a few glances, but no one said anything as they went up the stairs to Xehanort's room, where Xavier settled into the rocking chair with the boy on his lap. Xehanort nestled close as his cries dropped to hiccups and sniffles, and soon he fell silent, and a quick check showed that he had cried himself to sleep. Xavier didn't move from the chair; he passed the rest of the evening in the rocker, with Xehanort in his arms. Just after sundown, he reluctantly tucked him into bed and then returned to the rocker, where he stayed, watching his child sleep, the entire night through.

A quiet groan roused Xavier in the morning, and he let out a groan of his own when his back protested having to move after sleeping in a chair for several hours. He rubbed the sand and gunk from his eyes and looked at Xehanort's bed just in time to see him slowly push himself up with one arm and rub his own eyes.

"Xavier" he mumbled as he pushed the blanket away and sat the rest of the way up "What are you doing in here?"

Xavier stood up from the chair and stretched before he answered. "I didn't want to leave you alone after what you learned yesterday."

"What I learned...?" Xehanort trailed off, and then he looked despondently at his lap "So it wasn't a dream then." he said quietly.

Xavier walked over and sat down on the bed beside him. "No, it wasn't." he said gently.

Xehanort didn't look up. "Oh,"

"Xehanort?"

The child shook his head and said nothing, so Xavier reached out with one arm and pulled him close. "It's not the end of the world, little one."

"Yes, it is." Xehanort said quietly as he pulled himself out of the embrace and stood up "Go away. Just go away and leave me alone." He walked out of the room then, and a moment later, Xavier heard the slamming of the back door.

**OOOOOO**

For the rest of the day, Xavier watched Xehanort from a distance. The child didn't speak to or acknowledge anyone, though Xavier often saw him speaking quietly to the horses. His words were too faint and distant to be made out though. It pained him to watch the child, obviously suffering, but not allowing anyone to comfort him, and he wondered, what else had he been expecting? Xion had had a similar reaction after discovering her origins, made worse no doubt by questions that only Vexen could have answered.

And speaking of Vexen, he still needed to speak to Even about Replicas, and maybe seeing little Vexen would show Xehanort that a Replica could still live a full, happy life. He would have to look into that later, as soon as he could leave Xehanort alone long enough to pay a visit to Radiant Garden. And that, he knew, could take a while.

Xehanort did not eat breakfast or lunch, and he went up to his room well before dinner. Before Xavier could follow him, his mother gestured him into the kitchen and shoved a full plate into his hands.

"He needs to eat." she said simply before she shooed him up the stairs.

He found Xehanort in his room, sitting on the edge of the bed, staring sullenly at the cold fireplace.

"Are you hungry, Xehanort?" he asked quietly as he stepped through the door. Xehanort only shook his head. "You haven't eaten all day; you must be hungry."

Xehanort turned away. "Go away. I don't want to speak to you."

"Xehanort-"

"I said go away!" The boy spun around, knocked the plate out of Xavier's hand, which caused it crash to the floor and break, and bolted from the room. Xavier sighed as he picked up the broken crockery and spilled food; this was was going to be harder than he had thought. Once the mess was cleaned up, he asked Jachin which way Xehanort had gone, and he was informed that he had run out the front door.

The sun was setting, and though the world didn't have a problem with wild animals attacking people, it did happen off and on, and Xehanort was small enough that wolves or other predators might see him as an easy meal. This was largely due to a limited diet – Xavier remembered how short he had been before leaving the Destiny Islands. About a month after leaving for the Land of Departure, the diet changes had caused him to hit a large growth spurt, and Master Limahl had had difficulty in keeping him in fitting clothes for a while.

He followed Xehanort out of the yard and across the newly planted fields that surrounded the house, and he managed a smile to see that, even while running, the teenager was careful not to trample the young seedlings. Ahead of him, just barely visible in the fading light, he could see Xehanort running across the fields, towards the spot where the world's hidden keyhole was located. He followed at a more sedate pace, to give him time to run off some of his anger and to give him a little space before approaching him again. If need be, he could always portal to him.

Xehanort finally came to a stop at the tree that hid the keyhole, and he slumped to the ground between its massive roots.

"I said I don't want to speak to you." he growled as Xavier walked up to him.

Xavier ignored him and sat down next to him. He also ignored the boy shying away from him, though it made his heart ache to see it.

"It was difficult," he began as he watched the setting sun as it cast its red light on everything "when I first found out who exactly I had once been. I had always wondered how I had ended up here. Had I been kidnapped and then dumped here? Had my family thrown me out, and then I had wandered here in a fevered daze? Had I been abandoned by people that no longer wanted me in their lives? No one here knew me, so my parents – Elissa and Jascha – adopted me into their home and family. I accepted my memory loss as a fact of life, but part of my heart still yearned to know who I was and where I had come from."

Beside him, Xehanort shifted in place but said nothing.

"But then my memories began to awaken, which summoned the Heartless to to this world. The Heartless are attracted to keyblade wielders, and they came here for me." It wasn't the entire truth, but that could wait for another time. "They destroyed everything, and I was flung to another world. Over the next five days, I traveled the other worlds, looking for my family as my memories continued to awaken. I encountered Even, Dilan, and the others at Radiant Garden, but they did not trust me, though I didn't know why exactly. I had been told that I had been responsible for the world's destruction years ago, but I had no memory of it.

"It wasn't until I helped Lea and Roxas rescue Isa from his prison cell that Lea and Ienzo began to trust me, and they convinced Even, Dilan, and Aeleus to give me a chance. I then went to speak to Naminé, and she helped me regain the rest of my memories. It was horrible afterwards, realizing that everything that I had thought and known was wrong. I had not been lost, and I did not have a family that was loving me and missing me. No one had stolen me and left me here. My darker half had tried to further his schemes and had fallen ill while doing so. His helper had decided that caring for him while he was ill was more trouble than it was worth and had left him here. While he was sick, he was locked away, and I regained control. That was it; there was no lost family, no one looking for me and hoping that I was safe. It was just that the darker side of my personality had gotten sick and had been left here.

"I split my heart in two, destroyed my darker half, which allowed my fragmented heart to join back together and heal, and then picked up my life from where it had been before the world's loss. The only reason that I could was because I had people that I considered family with me." He turned to look at Xehanort, who was steadfastly looking away from him. "I know how hard this is, Xehanort, and I understand that you're angry, but I'm here. You still have a family that loves you."

Xehanort didn't answer; instead the boy leapt to his feet and began to stalk back towards the house. Xavier watched him go for a moment before he slumped back against the tree with a sigh.

"What am I going to do?" he asked quietly, but the sun had no answers for him. With another sigh, he heaved himself up and turned towards home.

When he walked through the front door a few minutes later, Masa quietly informed him that Xehanort had gone up to his room, so he went upstairs and knocked on Xehanort's door. There was no answer, so he quietly turned the knob and opened the door.

Xehanort's bedroom was dark when he stepped inside. The fireplace was cold and empty, there were no candles or lamps going, and the curtains were pulled shut over the windows. He could just barely make out Xehanort lying on his left side on the bed, with his face hidden in his arms. He walked in and shut the door behind him before he approached the bed. There was no mumbled "Go away," this time, and he eased himself down beside him and waited.

Minutes ticked by in silence, until Xavier reached out and gently placed a hand on Xehanort's shoulder. "Xehanort?" He felt a shudder run through the boy's body then, and there was a soft, quiet sob. "Oh, Xehanort." He reached out and gently lifted the child up into his arms and held him on his lap. Xehanort did not struggle or resist, he simply curled close to Xavier and cried.

"Not fair," he cried softly "It's not fair. I didn't want any of this. Why? I didn't do anything wrong, so why?"

"No, it isn't fair." Xavier said quietly as he rocked Xehanort and ran his hand down his hair "There is nothing fair about being punished for something that you did not do and were in no way responsible for. If I could, I would make every single one of them pay for what they did. Anyone that deems it acceptable to torture and abuse a child has forfeited their right to live, as I see it." Xavier held Xehanort closer. "I love you, little one. I love you so much, and I know that it hurts. I know that it's hard, but I will be here, with you, for as long as you need and want me. I promise you. I will never leave you, never hurt you, and I will never stop loving you."

"Promise me," Xehanort said through his tears "Promise me that you won't go away."

"I promise."

"Promise that you won't ever hurt me."

"I promise, Xehanort."

"Do you love me?"

"Yes, gods yes."

Xehanort looked up at him with his eyes red and swollen and his face wet with tears. "I love you too." he whispered, and then he hid his face in Xavier's hair. Xavier realized that he was also crying as he let out a watery sob and pressed his lips to Xehanort's hair.

Xehanort cried himself to sleep in Xavier's arms, so Xavier laid down with him, reluctant to let his child go, even while they slept.

**OOOOOO**

When Xavier blinked his eyes open in the morning, Xehanort was still curled up against him, sleeping. He gently brushed a few strands of the boy's sleep tousled hair out of his face and smiled. Xehanort was clinging to him tightly, yet the rest of his body was relaxed and quiet, so Xavier smiled again and waited for him to wake up.

It didn't take long, and barely an hour later, the child stirred, and his eyes blinked open. He sighed, nestled closer, and then asked a question.

"How old am I?"

"About 13 weeks as near as I can figure." Xavier replied in a soft voice.

Xehanort looked up at him with a puzzled expression. "How can I be that young? That's just a baby."

"Even can explain this more than I can, but Replicas undergo greatly accelerated growth until they reach the desired age and size, then the growth is slowed to normal, or stopped completely if the body is physically mature. Your age is counted from the day you were 'birthed' from the tube that you grew in."

Xehanort flinched slightly at "Replica" but he continued on without a pause. "Tube?"

"A large glass tank, filled with artificial amniotic fluid, that's large enough to hold a grown man with room to spare."

"But... but _how_? How do you create a copy of a person? How is such a thing possible?"

"I don't really know, unfortunately. Even can answer your questions better than I can, so I'll take you to see him soon. While we're there, you can meet Vexen."

"Who is that?"

"Vexen is a Replica of Even. Even lost track of him years ago, and then found him just over a year later, slowly starving to death in an abandoned castle. He took him back to Radiant Garden and adopted him and now treats him as a son."

"When can we go?"

Xavier shifted and thought for a second. "I'll have to go to Radiant Garden alone, and meet with Even, so we cane come up with a date and time. It's... not the safest for me to go there, and it's extremely dangerous for you, so I'd rather he come here than we go there."

Xehanort looked down for a moment." Oh," he said, and then looked back up "Who are the other Replicas of you?"

Xavier winced inwardly; he had been hoping to avoid the story of the possession for a while yet. "There is only one: Terra."

"Where is he then? Why doesn't he live here with you?"

"Terra lives on another world with his own family."

"But why not with you?"

Xavier sighed. "Remember how I told you my darker half extended our life?" Xehanort nodded hesitantly. "He extended our life by forcing our heart into Terra's body and taking control. When Terra fought back, he used Dark Gaze to seal both hearts away, which caused my memory loss. I didn't know about the possession, and since the memory loss affected my darker half as well, even after he regained control, he didn't remember it either. It wasn't until I met Even and Ienzo in Radiant Garden six years ago, that I found out about it, though Terra had been speaking to me for a few days before that. Three years later, Even used my DNA and data to conceive a Replica, and once it was ready, I extracted Terra's heart and sent it to its new home. I cared for Terra for a while until he was able to look after himself, and then I took him home."

"Is that why we don't look exactly alike?" Xehanort asked.

"Yes, because I am not in my original body anymore. Terra resembled me greatly, but we didn't look exactly the same."

Xehanort looked down and said nothing for a while, and then: "Did you mean what you said last night?" he asked in a tiny voice.

"Every word."

"Are you really sure that I'm a Replica?"

"As certain that you're here in front of me."

A shudder ran through Xehanort's body, and Xavier said nothing as the boy began to cry again. He only held him and allowed him to cry himself out. He then gently raked the boy's damp hair back from his face and smiled at him.

"I know that it's probably the last thing on your mind right now," he said "but are you hungry? You haven't eaten since the day before yesterday."

"May I eat up here?" Xehanort asked meekly "I don't... I can't face everyone right now. What do they think of me now?"

"They know already, little one."

"They knew... about me? And they didn't say anything?"

"It wasn't their business to tell. It was something that you needed to hear from me."

"Do they all know?"

"Everyone but Alexander, I believe. I only told my parents, but the others deduced it from simply looking at you."

Xehanort nodded. "I still don't want to go downstairs." he said in a tiny voice.

"Alright," Xavier sat up "I'll bring something up."

"Promise that you're coming back?"

Xavier smiled at him again. "I promise." He then walked out of the room and headed downstairs in search of breakfast.


	9. Chapter 9

**9. **

Xehanort was quiet after breakfast, but he didn't try to avoid anyone. Instead he stayed close to Xavier's side and allowed himself to be held and comforted. After having his identity torn to shreds, the clinginess was to be expected, and Xavier was glad to see that he seemed to be accepting it.

Xehanort was still hanging onto him when Isa appeared early in the afternoon as they were all sitting down to lunch.

"Isa!" Elissa exclaimed "How are you? Will you join us for lunch?"

Isa eyed the meal laid out on the table and smiled. "I think I will. Thank you." He sat down across from Xavier and smiled at Xehanort as he began to fill his plate. "Unfortunately, I didn't come here just to socialize. I have a favor I need to ask."

"What is it?" Jascha asked.

Isa accepted a glass of iced tea from Alexander. "Taylor is discharging Lea tomorrow, but he's still not well enough to be on his own. I've been neglecting the business to take care of him, and so I have a lot of work to catch up on and won't have time to look after him. I was wondering if he could stay here for a week while I get things caught up?"

Elissa and Jascha looked at each other, and then they turned and looked at Xavier, who nodded.

"We'd be happy to have him." Elissa said with a smile "In fact, why don't you stay overnight with him? That way, you'll be able to spend more time with him."

Isa smiled in relief. "I'll do that. Thank you. That takes a lot off of my mind."

"Where will we put him?" Masa asked "All the bedrooms are taken."

Xavier looked down at Xehanort, who was sitting so close to him that getting any closer would have meant climbing up onto his lap. Xehanort gave him a feeble smile and nodded, so Xavier looked back up at the others. "Xehanort can stay with me for now, and Lea can have his room until he goes home."

"Are you sure, Xehanort?" Isa asked, and Xehanort nodded again. "Thank you, Xehanort." Isa then finished the last of his meal and drank down the rest of his tea and stood up. "I'm sorry to eat and run, but I really need to get back to Lea. I'll probably bring him by in the morning tomorrow. I'll let you know before I come by. Thank you for lunch."

Isa showed himself out, and Xavier looked down at Xehanort, who looked up at him. "Eat, little one. We have things to do after lunch, and then I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?"

He lightly tapped Xehanort on the nose. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise now would it? You'll find out later. Now eat your lunch." Xehanort looked at him for a long moment before he turned back to his lunch.

Once the meal was over and the washing up was done, the two went upstairs to Xehanort's room to gather his things. Xavier frowned when he realized that other than his clothes, shoes, coat, and quilt, Xehanort had no personal effects. No books, no toys, no games, nothing. They would have to do something about that soon. They took everything, including the pillows from the bed, next door to Xavier's room, where they saw Akim and Heras setting up a smaller bed for Xehanort to sleep on. They finished assembling it as Xehanort put his clothes away and hung his coat up. Elissa appeared them with sheets for it, and she quickly made it up and laid the quilt over the top. The days were pleasantly warm, but Xehanort still found the nights a bit chilly, so he loved sleeping under the heavy quilt.

"Are you ready for your surprise?" Xavier asked once everything had been taken care of. Xehanort looked up at him in confusion for a moment and didn't answer, so Xavier ushered him out of the room, down the stairs, and out through the backdoor. As they walked in the direction of the barn, he felt a hand slip into his own, and he smiled down at Xehanort, who was looking down at the ground. He was still upset, but he hadn't lost him.

They stepped out of the bright spring sunlight into the cool darkness of the barn, where they found Alexander waiting for them, holding Hannah by a halter rope.

"Thanks for fetching her, Alexander." Xavier said as he took the rope "Run along now." Alexander skipped out of the barn, off to do who knows what, and Xavier turned to Xehanort, who was staring at his feet. "Would you like to learn how to ride?"

Xehanort's head snapped up. "Really?" he asked "I can?"

"Of course you can, but before you can do that, you need to learn how to saddle, so come over here so I can teach you."

Xehanort walked up, looking as though he scarcely dared to believe what he had been told, and Hannah reached out and nuzzled him with her nose in greeting. Xehanort giggled slightly and petted her head for a moment before he walked up to stand beside Xavier.

Xavier spent the next several minutes patiently explaining to Xehanort how to saddle a horse. He then had him saddle Hannah himself a few times to make sure he had it. He then showed him how to put the bridle on before he allowed him to climb up into the saddle.

"Reach up and grab a hold of her mane in your left hand and rest your right on the back of the saddle." he explained and waited until Xehanort had done so. "Now, you're standing on her left side, so you need to reach up and put your left foot in the stirrup. Make sure you have it in there good enough that it won't slip out, but not so far that it gets stuck. Now use her mane to pull yourself up and swing your right leg over the saddle."

Xehanort looked over his shoulder at him. "Won't that hurt her?"

"She won't even notice you're there. Go ahead."

The leather saddle creaked as Xehanort pulled himself up, but he soon encountered a problem. He was too short to climb up all the way. Xavier grinned and boosted him the rest of the way up, and soon he was sitting in the saddle and looking around like he couldn't believe he was actually on the back of a horse. Xavier adjusted the stirrups for him and told him to sit up straight. "I should be able to draw a straight vertical line between your hips and shoulders. If you don't sit right, you'll kill your back." He then took Hannah by the reins. "Ready?" he asked Xehanort, who nodded eagerly. "Hold on to her mane now." He checked to make sure that Xehanort had done so, and then he led Hannah and her new rider out of the barn.

He walked her over to the west field, which had been plowed but not yet planted, which made it an ideal spot to teach a new rider. The soft dirt would make it harder for Hannah to throw Xehanort, and easier on him if she did. Not that he was worried about that. As far as he knew Hannah had never thrown anyone.

Once they were out in the field, Xavier tossed the reins back over Hannah's head and began to instruct Xehanort on how to direct her. He then stood back and watched with a smile as Xehanort rode her around the field. The boy's smile could have outshone the sun, and Xavier felt his heart fill with warmth as he watched him.

There was no sign of the sick, abused, frightened child that he had rescued two months ago. Xehanort had regained the weight that he had lost in the prison, and he was slowly building muscle back up by doing chores everyday. He was nowhere near as tanned as Xavier had been at that age, but that was to be expected after a month in a lightless cell, followed by two months in weak sunlight. His hair was smooth, soft, and shining from proper meals and good care, and the sunlight shining off of it was nearly blinding.

He allowed Xehanort to ride around for an hour or so, and then he waved him back towards the barn. Xehanort pouted but did as he was told, and once they were in the barn, he directed him to climb down.

"Just do the opposite of what you did to get up there."

Xehanort slipped down from the saddle, and he turned to Xavier with a bright smile and went to walk over to him, but the smile turned into a pained grimace.

"Owwww," he groaned "My legs hurt."

Xavier laughed quietly. "All new riders experience that." he said "Walk around while I get Hannah taken care of, and then we'll go in the house and do something about your aches."

"Can't I just sit down?"

"Not unless you want your sore muscles to lock up. Just keep moving around and when we get back in the house, I'll draw you a hot bath to soak in for a while."

Xehanort mumbled something that Xavier didn't catch, but he could hear him walking around the barn floor as he removed the saddle and bridle from Hannah and turned her out to pasture. They then walked back towards the house, or rather, Xavier walked. Xehanort hobbled along, grimacing as his muscles protested the movement. Once they were in the house, he could not lift his legs well enough to ascend the stairs to the second floor bath, so Xavier carried him up. Someone had already guessed that Xehanort was in need of a hot bath, because they found one waiting. Xehanort gratefully peeled out of his clothing, but he still needed Xavier's help to get into the large tub. He sank into the hot water with a sigh, while Xavier stepped out to fetch a bottle of the wintergreen oil that he had used on Isa during his physical therapy. A quick rub down with it would prevent Xehanort's sore leg muscles from locking back up once he was out of the water.

After a while, Xehanort was able to get out of the tub without assistance, and he dried himself, wrapped himself in a towel and wandering into the bedroom looking for clothes.

"Just put a shirt on for now." Xavier told him "I've got something for you legs before you finish dressing." He waited while Xehanort slipped a shirt over his head and then told him to sit down on the bed.

"What is that?" the boy asked as he sat.

"This is wintergreen oil." Xavier explained as he uncapped the bottle and poured a little bit out onto his hand "It's great for relaxing stiff muscles and easing aches." He reached out and began working it into the muscles of Xehanort's right leg, which caused the boy to groan and flop backwards to the bed.

"I love that stuff already." he said.

Xavier grinned. "This stuff is the only reason that Isa was able to get through his physical therapy sessions years ago."

"I can see why." He raised his head to look at Xavier. "It won't hurt like this every time I ride will it?"

"No," Xavier replied as he switched to the other leg. "Give it a few more rides, and you'll get used to it. First time you have a long ride, you'll hurt afterwards, but then that will also stop bothering you."

"Mmm, okay."

Xavier laughed. "Don't go to sleep on me yet. You still have to eat dinner and help clear the table like usual."

"Okay, okay."

Xavier let go and stood up. "Now finished getting dressed. I'm going to go wash this stuff off of my hands."

"M'kay."

Xehanort went back to the bathroom to wash his hands, and once that done, he met Xehanort in the hallway, and they went down to dinner together.

**OOOOOO**

In the morning, Xavier traveled to Radiant Garden and met with Even to ask him about him visiting Haven's Bridge to talk with Xehanort.

Even gave him an odd look. "Not for a few days at least. I have things to do, and I can't just up and leave without arousing Master Ansem's suspicions."

_Master Ansem..._

"It would probably be easier for you to come here."

"I'd rather not do that." Xavier said after he had swallowed a lump that had appeared suddenly in his throat "I'm sure you can understand why."

"Depending on how things work out, you may have no other option. Master Ansem has been watching us closely lately, so actually leaving the world for a day or two might be extremely difficult."

"Why is he watching you?"

"I am unsure. Ienzo believes that it has something to do with that child's escape from the prison and the search for him."

"Is it possible that he suspects one of you was involved in the escape?"

"Possible? Yes, that could be the case. None of us know for sure." Even thought for a second. "I will try to come by in a week or so, but I can't promise anything."

"Bring Vexen with you."

"Of course." Even looked over his shoulder as faint voices echoed down to them. "You'd best leave, before someone hears you down here."

Xavier stepped back and waved. "I'll see you later then." he whispered.

Even returned the wave. "Hurry and go."

Xavier portaled out, and as he went, he saw Even vanishing into his own portal, likely to prevent being seen down in the lower levels of the castle without a valid reason.

He arrived home just in time for Isa to arrive with Lea.

The double pneumonia had left Lea a pale, weak shadow of his normal self. He had lost nearly fifteen pounds, and on his skinny frame, such a loss was painfully visible. His face was pale and drawn, and there were bags under his eyes. He shuffled into the house with Isa's support and didn't protest when he was picked up and carried up the stairs.

Xavier followed them up, and he frowned when he saw Lea, normally so full of energy, meekly allowing himself to be tucked into bed without a word.

"I will be back tonight." Isa told him quietly "Just rest, and I'll see you later, alright?" Lea nodded without making a sound, and he was asleep before Isa had a chance to step away from the bed. Isa smiled faintly at him and then walked over to where Xavier was standing by the door.

"Thank you, Xavier." he said quietly "At least I know that he'll be looked after while I get things caught up at home."

"You're welcome, Isa." Xavier replied "I'll take care of him for you."

"I'll be back tonight."

"We'll see you then."

Isa nodded, and after one last glance at Lea, he scurried downstairs and out of the house, pausing to ruffle Xehanort's hair as he went. Xehanort grumbled something and smoothed out his hair as Xavier checked on Lea.

"Is he okay?" he asked.

"He's better." Xavier said as he checked Lea over "The pneumonia is gone, but he's still very weak right now. He has a long recovery ahead of him, so I imagine that it will be weeks before he's fit for keyblade training again." He patted the blanket around Lea's shoulder's and stood up. "Let's leave him to sleep for now. Later, we'll bring him lunch and visit with him then."

He ushered Xehanort out of the room and down the stairs. "I'm bored, Xavier." the boy complained "Can we go for another ride?"

"No, little one. I have to stay close to Lea until Isa comes back. Why don't you go ask your grandfather or uncles if they have anything for you to do?"

Xehanort winced at "grandfather", but he nodded anyway. "Okay," He then walked off, and Xavier shook his head.

**OOOOOO**

He didn't see Xehanort for a few hours, and it wasn't until he went to call him in for lunch, he found him in the woodshed behind the house, which Jascha used as a workshop of sorts. He made small wooden sculptures and tinker toys in his spare time, and Xavier found him inside, showing Xehanort how to whittle.

Xehanort was sitting on a stool next to his grandfather, with a knife in one hand and a small block of wood in the other, and small little cuts on his hands showed that he had gotten himself a couple of times. Jascha was holding his own knife and wood block, and he was leaned over to show Xehanort how to carefully shave off bits of the wood to get the desired shape. Xehanort was watching intently, and Xavier smiled to himself at the sight. He was loathe to interrupt the scene, but lunch was ready, and he didn't want Xehanort skipping a meal.

He knocked lightly on the door frame to catch their attention. "Lunch is ready." he said when they looked up. Jascha smiled at his grandson and set his tools down, and Xehanort frowned in disappointment.

"Can I eat later?" he asked, and Xavier shook his head.

"No, child. You don't need to miss a meal. You can work on this some more later."

"But-"

Jascha stood up. "You need to do what your Papa says." he said fondly "We can work on this some more later. Now let's go see what your Gram has made us for lunch."

Xehanort reluctantly put his knife and wood down and followed his grandfather out of the shed. Xavier reached out and put his arm around the boy's shoulders as the walked towards the house, and he smiled again when he leaned against him.

After lunch, Xavier went up to take Lea his lunch and found him awake, sitting up in bed, and rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Is Isa back yet?" he mumbled.

"No," Xavier replied as he sat down, "not yet. He won't be back until later tonight."

Lea yawned, which caused him to start coughing. "Okay." he said once he was done.

"Are you hungry?"

"A little. Got any soup?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"You know me too well."

"I've known you since you were fourteen. That might have something to do with it."

"Okay. I'm hungry now."

Xavier smiled faintly as he laid the lunch he had brought across Lea's lap on a tray. Lea happily dug in, so Xavier parked himself in the nearby chair and watched him.

By the time he finished the bowl, Lea's eyes were drooping again, so Xavier took the tray away and set it aside. Lea curled up under the blanket and closed his eyes. "Thanks, Xavier."

"You're welcome, Lea. I'll be back up later to check on you."  
"M'kay."

Xavier tucked the blanket around Lea's shoulders and gently raked his hair back from his forehead. Lea smiled faintly at the touch, and Xavier echoed it as he picked up the tray and carried it downstairs.

**OOOOOO**

Isa reappeared just after dinner was through. He had bathed and changed his clothes at home, and he quickly sat down at the table to eat a plate of potatoes and beans before he went upstairs to see Lea. Lea had just finished his own dinner and was being walked into the bathroom by Xavier to take a bath before going back to bed.

"I'll take him from here, Xavier." Isa said as he took Lea by the shoulders to guide him through the bathroom door. Xavier nodded in agreement and stepped away as Isa walked Lea into the bathroom and shut the door. He walked down the hall to his own room and found Xehanort sitting in the middle of his bed, reading a book.

"Ready for bed?" he asked, and Xehanort put the book aside with a sigh. Hmm, he needed to see about getting Xehanort into school soon. There was a small schoolhouse in town, but it was primarily for younger children. Older children were rarely educated past age 13, unless they accepted an apprenticeship. Higher education really didn't have a place on a world that had no use for it. At the very least, he would have to have Xehanort tested to see how much knowledge he had absorbed from his implanted memories and go from there.

Xehanort curled up under his quilt on his side and closed his eyes, and Xavier tucked him in and brushed his hair back. "Goodnight, Xehanort."

"G'night."

**OOOOOO**

Things were quiet for the next week. After five days, Isa took Lea home, and on day six, Roxas arrived to visit him and to pass on a note from Even to Xavier.

The note stated that Even didn't think that he would be able to slip offworld anytime soon, because he was still being watched, so if Xavier wanted to meet him, it would have to be on Radiant Garden. The note included a date and time, plus a location in a little used area of the lower levels of the castle. Xavier frowned; he didn't want to take Xehanort anywhere near Radiant Garden, but he supposed he didn't have much of a choice. He simply informed Xehanort that we would be going offworld in a few more days. Xehanort seemed intrigued, but he was more interested in the small block of wood he was whittling on.

The following day, the entire family went on a horseback ride to a lake a few hours away from the house. Xehanort loved the ride, but he loved the opportunity to go swimming even more, though he grumbled about the fresh water. He did help catch dinner, though jaws dropped when he threw an improvised spear and nailed a large catfish with it with the ease of an islander born and raised. Xavier could remember doing such a thing back on the Destiny Islands, and he got a good laugh at the gobsmacked expressions on everyone else's faces.

Xehanort's catch was big enough to feed three people.

As they were preparing for the ride home in the late afternoon, Xavier spotted Xehanort carefully gathering up some of the sand from the lake shore and putting inside a small leather pouch that he then slipped into a pocket. He asked what the sand was for and only received a smile in return.

"Fine then," he said as he ruffled the boy's hair "Keep your secrets. Now let's get going."

The sun had vanished from the sky by the time they made it back home. Xehanort helped put the horses away, and then he took a bath. Alexander had already bathed and was dressed in his pajamas, and he asked Xehanort to play with him in the family room. Xavier expected him to refuse – what teenager wants to play with a seven year old? - but Xehanort agreed, and the two spent a quiet half hour playing with some action figures that Jascha had made for the younger child. Alexander was then sent to bed, and Xehanort gathered up the toys and put them away before he curled up on the couch beside Xavier, who had been reading a book and watching them.

Xavier put the book aside. "Ready for bed?" he asked.

Xehanort shook his head. "I'm thinking."

"About?"

"About what Even may say to me when we go to Radiant Garden."

'Are you worried?"

"If he looks at me and says 'Yes, Xehanort, you are a Replica.' that means that it's all true." He sighed. "I just keep hoping that it's not real."

Xavier gently raked his finger's through the child's hair. "I understand. It will get better though, with time."

"I don't want it to get better." Xehanort said quietly. "I want it to all just go away. I want to wake up in my room at home and hear Mom scolding me about being late for school. I don't want any of this to be real."

"If I could make it better for you, little one, I would, but I can't."

"I know, I know. I just need to face reality, but I... I just... I can't. I don't want to." He leaned against Xavier, who put an arm around him. "I want to go home."

Xavier frowned in thought. Maybe sometime he could, if he was extremely careful, take Xehanort back to the Destiny Islands. The islands (With the exception of the play island, which Xavier had a feeling would remain the same until the islands sank into the sea.) had changed greatly in the years since he had left, so maybe seeing the differences would give Xehanort some form of closure. Denying the reality in front of him couldn't be good for his mental well being.

He looked down to see that Xehanort was fallen asleep against him, and he carefully scooped the child up into his arms and carried him upstairs to bed.

**OOOOOO**

In the morning, Xavier made the short trip to Lea and Isa's house to check on Lea, and he was pleased to find him up and about, though he only moved between the bedroom, living room, and bathroom. Isa reported that he was eating well and coughing less, and his energy levels were slowly returning to normal.

"You look worried about something." Lea said during the visit "What is it?"

"Oh, it's just that I'm taking Xehanort to Radiant Garden to see Even and Vexen tomorrow," Xavier explained. "when I really don't want him anywhere near that world."

"Can't Even and Vexen come here?" Isa asked as he sat down in a chair on Lea's other side.

"No," Xavier replied with a shake of his head. "Even says that he's being watched too closely to safely leave the world."

"Is it safe for you to take Xehanort there then?" Lea asked with concern.

"That is what has me worried. I don't want to take him there, but he has questions that only Even can answer. It doesn't help that he's still in denial about being a Replica, so I'm hoping that speaking with Even will put a stop to that."

"Hmph," Lea shrugged. "I'm not sure why anyone would want to go back there. I practically never go back to Radiant Garden."

"There's nothing for us there." Isa said sadly, and Xavier gave him a sympathetic look. Isa's parents had disowned him once Saïx's actions had come to light, and they had refused to stand up for him or try and prevent his imprisonment. Even though they knew that he had escaped and was alive somewhere, they had shown no interest in finding him.

"If it wasn't for Even, I would probably say the same." Xavier said with a sigh.

Lea gave him a knowing look. "You miss Ansem still, don't you."

_I'm sorry._

"I do, even though I know that he hates my very existence and wouldn't hesitate to have me executed if he were to find me."

"Just be careful okay?" Lea said quietly. "Don't get the two of you caught."

"That's why Even asked me to come late at night, when the castle will only have the skeleton staff up and about."

"All the same, be careful." Isa added.

"I will." Xavier stood up. "I need to go. Just keep doing what you've been doing, Lea. I want you to take it easy for at least another week."

Lea nodded. "Alright."

"I will come by again after I get back from Radiant Garden."

"We'll see you then."

Xavier showed himself out and he made the short walk home without any trouble, yet when he walked in the door, he didn't hear or see Xehanort anywhere.

"Where did Xehanort get off to?" he asked Elissa, who was at her quilting frame, working on another quilt.

"Your father took him into town." she replied without looking up from her work. "There was something that Xehanort wanted to do."

"Any idea what?"

"None at all. I'm sure you'll find out later though. I know when a child trying to hide a gift from a parent when I see one."

"A gift?"

"Of course. Why else would he ask your father instead of you? He's planning something for you and doesn't want you to find out what it is."

"You're sure?" Xehanort was planning a gift for him? After everything that he had been told? Xavier didn't understand it.

"Quite sure. Now quit worrying about it. You'll find out what it is soon enough, I imagine."

"Alright fine. Do you know when they'll be back?"

"Xavier! Stop worrying! Xehanort is fine, and he'll be back later. Go find something to do."

"Yes, Mother."

She made a shooing motion with her free hand. "Off with you now. Go for a ride or something."

Xavier sighed and walked out of the room, but he didn't head out the back door towards the barn. Instead he went upstairs to his room where he settled into a chair with a book to pass the time.

Xehanort and Jascha returned just before lunch time, and Xehanort was carrying a small package wrapped in brown paper, which he took up to his room and put away. He didn't say a word to Xavier about it, and Elissa gave him a knowing smile.

After lunch was over and the washing up was done, Xehanort begged Xavier to take him for another ride.

"Are all your chores done?" Xavier asked.

"They are."

"I suppose we can go then." Xehanort smiled a wide smile and started to run for the back door. "No running in the house young man!" Xehanort slowed to a walk, and Xavier smiled to himself as he followed him out to the barn.

They took Hannah and Kema out for a slow ride around the farm, and in sharp contrast with his earlier excitement, Xehanort was strangely silent.

"Xehanort?"

The boy shook his head and said nothing. Xavier decided to press forward. "Are you worried about tomorrow?"

"A little." Xehanort said in a near whisper.

"We don't have to go if you don't want to."

"I have to go. I need to know how... how I was brought into being. You said only Even would know right?"

"Well, there are the ones that conceived you, but I don't think it would be safe to track them down and ask them, but Even does know quite a bit about Replicas. He'll be able to answer your questions."

"I need to know, but at the same time, I don't want to know." Xehanort looked over at him. "Does that make sense?"

"It does. I felt the same way when my memories started to return. I wanted to know who I had once been, but at the same time I was afraid of what I would find out."

"Why were you afraid?"

"I had encountered fear and hostility, and I was afraid of what I had done in the past to warrant such feelings from people."

"Oh." Xehanort looked down, and Xavier stepped Kema closer to Hannah so he could reach out and touch him on the shoulder.

"It will be alright, Xehanort." he said gently "Nothing that Even says tomorrow will change anything. I will still love you as I do now, and this will still be your home."

Xehanort squeezed his eyes shut, and he brought Hannah to a stop as tears began to run down his face. Xavier stopped Kema and slipped down from the saddle, not worried at all about the well trained horse wandering off without him. He stepped over to Hannah and reached up to Xehanort.

"Let go of the reins, little one." he said gently "Take your feet out of the stirrups."

A sob shook Xehanort's body as he released his white knuckled grip on the reins and allowed Xavier to pull him from the saddle and into his arms. Xehanort put his arms around his neck and cried into his hair as he sat down in the tall grass aside the field with the boy in his lap. Xavier murmured soothingly to him and rubbed his back as he felt tears soaking into his shirt.

"Maybe we'll go to Radiant Garden another time." he said quietly.

Xehanort shook his head and looked up at him. "I want to go." he insisted as he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.

"I don't like seeing you so upset, child."

"Please, Xavier, I need to know."

"There is nothing that Even can tell you that can't wait until you've settled down a little."

"I have to know!"

"Xehanort -"

"Xavier, please!"

"Xehanort -"

"If you love me like you say you do, then you'll let me do this!"

Xavier sighed and turned his head away from his child's pleading face. "Alright, I'll take you to Radiant Garden." Xehanort laid his head down, which prompted Xavier to hold him tighter. "If you get too upset though, we're leaving. I don't care how much you protest. I don't want you getting hysterical in such a dangerous place. Understood?"

Xehanort nodded. "Thank you." he whispered.

"Don't thank me yet. I guarantee that you're not going to like what Even says tomorrow. Now,' He stood up and put Xehanort down on his feet. "Let's get home before they sent out the search parties."

Xehanort reached out and surprised him with a hug. Xavier returned it, and they stood in silence before Xehanort leg go and went over to Hannah. He climbed back up into the saddle (With a little help from Xavier.) and waited for Xavier to get back up on Kema, and then he nudged Hannah towards home.


End file.
